Oak Tree Leaves

Oak trees are commonly found in various parts of Europe, Asia, North America and South America. There are around 600 species of oak trees that belong to the genus Quercus. Apart from being used for wood, timber and as shade trees, oak trees are also linked to mythology and religion of various cultures across the world. Oak trees are often viewed as a symbol of strength and power. Even today, oak tree leaves and trees are found to be a part of the religious symbols, royal emblems, state symbols, etc. As mentioned above, there are many different types of oak trees, including hybrids. The leaves and acorns of these trees play a big role in oak tree identification. The size and shape of oak leaves vary with the type of the tree. If you are interested to know more about oak leaves, read on...

Oak Tree Leaves Identification

So, there are various types of oak trees. While some are deciduous and are found in colder latitudes, evergreen ones are mostly found in the south. These hardwood trees are found to be very strong and may grow to a height of around 50 to 70 feet. Some giant oak trees are found to have a height of around 100 feet. Most of these trees have differently shaped leaves and ridged bark. They are very much valued as shade trees and for landscaping purposes. This is mainly due to their colorful fall foliage. These trees are roughly classified into two groups - white and red oaks. The common white oak trees include bur oak, post oak, chinkapin oak and the swamp white oak. Red oak group includes northern red oak, black oak, scarlet oak, shingle oak, southern red oak, etc. As far as oak tree leaf identification is concerned, the general rule is that the white oaks have slightly rounded lobes without bristles and in red oak leaves, the lobes are found to be pointed and lobe tips have bristles too. The following information is about the different types of oak tree leaves.

• White oak (Quercus alba) has leaves with around seven to nine lobes that are narrow in nature. These leaves have a tapering base and the widest part is in the middle. The sinuses are also found to be deep.
• In case of chestnut oak (Quercus montana), leaves are somewhat oval in shape and are wider towards the tip. Even the margins are rounded with shallow teeth. They have a length of around 10 to 30 centimeters and 5 to 10 centimeters breadth.
• Another commonly found white oak is chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), which has sawtooth-like margins and tips with curved, but sharp teeth. These leaves have parallel side veins and a yellow mid vein.
• Post oak (Quercus stellata) has leathery leaves with three big lobes. Each leaf has two small almost rounded lobes near the base and a single lobe on the tip. The central lobes have square margins and the sinuses are also broad. The upper surface is waxy, whereas the lower one is hairy.
• In case of swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), the leaves are coarse with toothed-margins. These oak tree leaves have somewhat deep sinuses and the tip of each tooth points towards the leaf tip. The leaves get wider above the middle part and narrow at the base. They have silvery hair on the lower surface.
• Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) has leaves with five to nine lobes and an interesting shape. They have deep sinuses in the middle and the lobe on the tip of this leaf resembles a crown in shape.
• One of the commonly found red oak trees, northern red oak (Quercus rubra), has leaves with around 7 to 11 lobes and not so deep sinuses. These leaves have mid veins that are red in color. The lobes have tapering tips with bristles. Young green leaves have pinkish stalks and during autumn, they transform to a yellowish-green hue and then deep red.
• Southern red oak (Quercus falcata) trees have narrow leaves with 5 to 7 deep lobes. If kept upside down, the base of the leaf looks like a bell. The upper surface of these leaves are smooth, but, the undersides are found to have pale yellow hair.
• The leaves of black oak (Quercus velutina) have five to nine lobes. In this case, oak tree leaves on the lower branches are found to be bigger and broader. These leaves have smooth upper surfaces, but on the under sides, they are hairy, especially, near the veins.
• Another commonly found red oak tree is scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea). This tree has leaves with seven deep lobes that end in sharp bristles. The round sinuses are also found to be semi circular in shape. The base of the leaf (where it joins stalk) is found to be v-shaped. The lower sides of these leaves are found to be hairy.
• Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) leaf has shallow lobes that are three in number. The lobes are mainly concentrated near the tip of the leaf and each lobe has a sharp bristle tip. These leathery leaves are bell-shaped and are narrower towards the base. These leaves have orange-colored hair on their underside.
• Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) have leaves with no lobes. These oak tree leaves are oval in shape with a brownish hairy part beneath. They are found to have a length of around six inches and a width of 2 inches. They have yellow mid veins too.
• There are around 5 to 7 lobes and deep sinuses in the leaves of pin oak (Quercus palustris). The lobes are almost at right angles to the mid vein. They have a hairy lower part.
• Water oak (Quercus nigra) have leaves with pointed base and lobes with broader tips. In general, these leaves have three lobes that are concentrated at the apex. These leaves can be compared to a duck's foot in shape.

Leaves of oak trees may get affected with diseases and pests. Sometimes, you may find them turning brown. This can be due to water shortage, lack of nutrients in the soil, oak tree fungus, improper drainage, etc. In some cases, people complain about yellowing of oak tree leaves. This is mainly due to diseases, like, oak wilt, iron chlorosis, etc. Sometimes, they may develop brown spots due to fungal problem.

The above said is only a brief overview about a few oak tree leaves. There are many other types of oak trees and you may conduct a detailed study, if you are interested in knowing more about this subject.