Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1332 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
QUERCUS PHELLOS L. WILLOW OAK
(FAGACEAE, BEECH OR OAK FAMILY)
Other Common Names: PIN OAK, PEACH OAK, SWAMP WILLOW OAK, WILLOW-LEAF OAK, POSSUM OAK, SPOTTED OAK, DUCK OAK,
PUNK OAK
Form and Size: medium tall tree to 30 m; trunk straight, to 1.2 m in diameter; crown narrowly open or cone-shaped.
Leaves: simple, deciduous, alternate, the blades 5–12 cm long, 1–2.5 cm wide, light green and glabrous above, pale green
below, glabrous, rarely softly pubescent, turning golden yellow in autumn; usually linear to narrowly elliptic, usually
widest near the middle, unlobed, marginally entire with a single bristle at the apex, strongly revolute as they emerge;
petiole 2–4(–6) mm.
Buds: 2–4 mm long (terminal), chestnut brown, ovoid, apically acute, glabrous.
Flowers: unisexual, male and female flowers occurring separately on the same tree (plants monoecious), individually tiny
and inconspicuous; male flowers numerous on slender dangling catkins 2.5–7.5 cm long; female flowers in few-flowered
clusters in leaf axils.
Fruits: acorns solitary or in pairs, maturing in 2 seasons; cup covering 1/4–1/3 nut; nut ovoid to hemispheric, 8–12 mm
long, 6.5–10 mm wide.
Bark: dark gray and smooth, darkening with age, roughened into irregular, scale-covered plates when older.
Wood: similar to Q. falcata, strong and coarse- and straight-grained, often marketed as “red oak.”
Habitat: alluvial soils of bottomland flood plains, stream banks, terraces, and poorly drained uplands.
Range: Pineywoods, northern Gulf Prairies and Marshes, and Post Oak Savannah, west in Red River drainage to Fannin
County; mainly southeastern U.S. from coastal NY south to FL w to OK and TX.
Principal Uses: pulp, general construction, pallets, interior finishes, furniture, railroad ties, and firewood.
Historical Uses: the wood is not as high quality as that of a number of other oak species; consequently it was not extensively
used when other higher quality woods were readily available.
Other Significant Information: this tree has gained popularity as an ornamental and shade tree due to its relatively fast
growth compared to other oaks; it is also long-lived and easy to transplant. It is being used in hardwood plantations
because of its growth rate and the characteristics of its pulp. This species hybridizes with a number of related oaks,
including Q. falcata (SOUTHERN RED OAK), Q. marilandica (BLACKJACK OAK), Q. nigra (WATER OAK), Q. pagoda
(CHERRYBARK OAK), Q. shumardii (SHUMARD’S OAK), and Q. velutina (BLACK OAK).
Recognition in the Field: leaves simple, alternate, willow-like—linear to narrowly elliptic, at least 5 times as long as wide,
unlobed, entire except for 1 apical bristle; fruit an acorn with shallow cup covering 1/4–1/3 of nut.