quercus stellata - Post oak
The Post Oak grows from 30 to 70 feet tall, and is 1 to 2 feet in diameter. The leaves have 5 to 7 lobes that resemble a cross (the two middle lobes are the largest). The leaves are shiny dark green and slightly rough with scattered hairs above, and gray green with tiny star-shaped hairs beneath. It is monoecious. Staminate and pistillate flowers are on the same tree in separate catkins. The bark is light gray, fissured into scaly ridges. The acorns are 1/2" to 1", elliptical, and 1/3 to 1/2 enclosed by a deep cup.
The wood from the Post Oak is marketed as White Oak and is used for railroad cross ties, posts, and construction timbers.
This tree is found on sandy, gravelly, and rocky ridges as well as moist loamy soils of flood plains along streams. This tree can sometimes be found in pure stands.
The wood from the Post Oak is marketed as White Oak and is used for railroad cross ties, posts, and construction timbers.
This tree is found on sandy, gravelly, and rocky ridges as well as moist loamy soils of flood plains along streams. This tree can sometimes be found in pure stands.