Quercus marilandica

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Blackjack oak
Blackjack and little bluestem.png
Dormant blackjack in the Cross Timbers of Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. marilandica
Binomial name
Quercus marilandica
Quercus marilandica range map 1.png
Generalized natural range of Quercus marilandica
Synonyms [4] [5]
  • Quercus cuneataWangenh.
  • Quercus dilatataRaf.
  • Quercus ferrugineaF.Michx.
  • Quercus neoasheiBush
  • Quercus nobilisMast.

Quercus marilandica, the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group Quercus sect. Lobatae. It is native to the eastern and central United States.

Contents

Description

Quercus marilandica is a small deciduous tree growing to 15 meters (49 feet) tall, with bark cracked into rectangular black plates with narrow orange fissures. The leaves are 7–20 centimeters (3–8 inches) long and broad, and typically flare from a tapered base to a broad three-lobed bell shape with only shallow indentations. They are dark green and glossy above, pubescent underneath, and often remain attached to the twigs through the winter after turning colors from red to brown in the fall. The acorn is small, 12–20 millimeters (1234 in) long and 10–18 mm (3834 in) broad; like those of other red oaks, it takes 18 months to mature. [6]

Blackjack oaks in the Cross Timbers can grow from 15 to 18 m (50 to 60 ft) high but seldom reach more than 12 m (40 ft), with a trunk diameter of 41 cm (16 in). The leaves are from 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) in length and about the same width.

Distribution and habitat

The blackjack oak can be found from Long Island in New York to Florida, west as far as Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. There are reports of a few isolated populations in southern Michigan, but these appear to represent introductions. [7] [8]

The species grows in poor, thin, dry, rocky or sandy soils where few other woody plants can thrive, usually on low ground, from sea level up to approximately 850 m (2,800 ft) in altitude. Some sources say that it does not have the beautiful form of many oaks, but is nonetheless a valuable tree for growing in problem sites. [9] Some say that the tree is "tough but ugly", but also underappreciated. [10] [11] At times the tree has even been actively eradicated to provide room for trees deemed to be more commercially valuable. [12]

It is sometimes an understory tree in pine stands on sandy knolls in the southeastern US. Along the coastal plain of New Jersey the probability of finding this species is increased in relatively sunny, open areas such as those near coastal salt marshes. It often occurs near scarlet and post oaks as well as pitch pine; understory companions include winged sumac, bracken, sweetfern, and bayberry, and can be found as far north as parts of Ohio [13] and New York.

A variety, Quercus marilandica Münchhausen var. ashei Sudworth, [6] grows in the western portions of its range – northern Texas, Oklahoma, and into southern Kansas. In this area, blackjack and post oak form a semi-savanna area composed of forested strips intermixed with prairie grass glades along the eastern edge of the southern Great Plains. This semi-savanna is known as the Cross Timbers. [14] [15] [16] Scrub forms of Q. marilandica dominate on many chert glades along with Q. stellata in Arkansas's Ozark plateau. [17]

Ecology

Blackjack oak sometimes hybridizes with bear oak (Q. ilicifolia), forming a hybrid known as Q. × brittonii. [18]

Blackjack acorns provide food for both whitetail deer and wild turkey. Blackjacks may, however, cause tannic acid poisoning in cattle.

Uses

The wood is very dense and produces a hot flame when burned, which functions as an excellent source of heat for barbecues and wood-burning stoves. However, the wood is not desirable for wood fireplaces because the heat causes popping, thereby increasing the risk of house fires. [19]

Traditionally blackjack wood is used as both a fuel and smoke wood for barbecue in Oklahoma.

Related Research Articles

<i>Quercus alba</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been documented to be over 450 years old.

<i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus muehlenbergii, the chinquapinoak, is a deciduous species of tree in the white oak group. The species was often called Quercus acuminata in older literature. Quercus muehlenbergii is native to eastern and central North America. It ranges from Vermont to Minnesota, south to the Florida panhandle, and west to New Mexico in the United States. In Canada it is only found in southern Ontario, and in Mexico it ranges from Coahuila south to Hidalgo.

<i>Quercus velutina</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus velutina, the black oak, is a species of oak in the red oak group, native and widespread in eastern and central North America. It is sometimes called the eastern black oak.

<i>Quercus virginiana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus virginiana, also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. Many very large and old specimens of live oak can be found today in the Deep South region of the United States.

<i>Quercus michauxii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus michauxii, the swamp chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus section Quercus in the beech family. It is native to bottomlands and wetlands in the southeastern and midwestern United States, in coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland primarily in the Mississippi–Ohio Valley as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.

<i>Quercus laevis</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus laevis, the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is native to the southeastern United States. The name turkey oak derives from the resemblance of the leaves to a turkey's foot. A Turkish and southern European species Quercus cerris is also commonly referred to as Turkey oak, so Quercus laevis is sometimes referred to as American turkey oak to distinguish it from the European species.

<i>Quercus stellata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus stellata, the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges, and also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to rot, fire, and drought. Interbreeding occurs among white oaks, thus many hybrid species combinations occur. It is identifiable by the rounded cross-like shape formed by the leaf lobes and hairy underside of the leaves.

<i>Quercus fusiformis</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus fusiformis, commonly known as escarpment live oak, plateau live oak, plateau oak, or Texas live oak, is an evergreen or nearly evergreen tree. Its native range includes the Quartz Mountains and Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma, through Texas, to the Mexican states of Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León.

<i>Quercus laurifolia</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus laurifolia is a medium-sized semi-evergreen oak in the red oak section Quercus sect. Lobatae. It is native to the southeastern and south-central the United States.

<i>Quercus falcata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus falcata, also called southern red oak, spanish oak, bottomland red oak or three-lobed red oak is an oak. Native to the southeastern United States, it gets its name the "Spanish Oak" as these are the areas of early Spanish colonies, whilst "southern red oak" comes from both its range and leaf color during late summer and fall. The southern red oak is a deciduous angiosperm, so has leaves that die after each growing period and come back in the next period of growth.

<i>Quercus coccinea</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus coccinea, the scarlet oak, is a deciduous tree in the red oak section Lobatae of the genus Quercus, in the family Fagaceae.

<i>Quercus lyrata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus lyrata, the overcup oak, is an oak in the white oak group. The common name, overcup oak, refers to its acorns that are mostly enclosed within the acorn cup. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. There are historical reports of it growing in Iowa, but the species appears to have been extirpated there. It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature. It has an estimated lifespan of 400 years.

<i>Quercus faginea</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus faginea, the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treated as a distinct species, Quercus tlemcenensis. It occurs in mountains from sea level to 1,900 metres above sea level, and flourishes in a variety of soils and climates. Out of all the oak forests in the Iberian Peninsula, the southern populations of Portuguese oak were found to have the highest diversity and endemism of spider species.

<i>Quercus nigra</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus nigra, the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group, native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kentucky, and southern Missouri. It occurs in lowlands and up to 450 meters in elevation.

<i>Quercus texana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus texana, commonly known as Nuttall's oak, is a fast-growing, large deciduous oak tree.

<i>Quercus arkansana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus arkansana, the Arkansas oak, is a species of oak tree. It is native to the southeastern United States. It is threatened by use of its habitat for pine plantations, clearing of land, and diebacks that may be caused by drought.

<i>Quercus buckleyi</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus buckleyi, commonly known as Texas red oak, Buckley's oak, or Spanish oak is a species of flowering plant. It is endemic to the southern Great Plains of the United States.

<i>Quercus pagoda</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus pagoda, the cherrybark oak, is one of the most highly valued red oaks in the southern United States. It is larger and better formed than southern red oak and commonly grows on more moist sites. Its strong wood and straight form make it an excellent timber tree. Many wildlife species use its acorns as food, and cherrybark oak makes a fine shade tree. Cherrybark oak was formerly considered to be a subspecies of southern red oak, Quercus falcata, subsp pagodifolia.

<i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> Berry and plant

Vaccinium pallidum is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common names hillside blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, late lowbush blueberry, and early lowbush blueberry. It is native to central Canada (Ontario) and the central and eastern United States plus the Ozarks of Missouri, Arkansas, southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma.

<i>Quercus incana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus incana is a species of oak known by the common names bluejack oak, upland willow oak, sandjack oak, and cinnamon oak. It is native to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

References

  1. Wenzell , K.; Kenny, L. (2015). "Quercus marilandica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T194195A2303635. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T194195A2303635.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  3. Münchhausen, Otto von (1770). "Verzeichniß der Bäume und Stauden, welche in Deutschland fortkommen". Der Hausvater. Vol. 5. Hannover: Försters und Sohns Erben. pp.  253: diagnosis in Latin, description in German in Teutonic script.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  4. "Quercus marilandica (L.) Münchh". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 October 2017 via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  5. "Quercus marilandica Münchh". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus marilandica". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 31 October 2017 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  7. "Quercus marilandica Range Map" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  8. "Quercus marilandica". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  9. Liming, Franklin G. (1 March 1942). "Blackjack Oak in the Missouri Ozarks". Journal of Forestry. Society of American Foresters. 40 (3): 249–252.
  10. Klingaman, Gerald (September 22, 2000). "Plant of the Week: Blackjack Oak". Extension News. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  11. Nelson, John (12 January 2017). "Blackjack oak grows in hardscrabble habitat". Tallahassee Democrat . Tallahassee, Florida. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  12. Clark, F. Bryan; Liming, Franklin G. (December 1953), Sprouting of Blackjack Oak in the Missouri Ozarks, Technical Paper No. 137, Division of Forest Management, Central States Forest Experiment Station
  13. "Blackjack Oak". What Tree Is It?. Ohio Public Library Information Network and The Ohio Historical Society. 1997.
  14. Oklahoma Biological Survey (2016). "Ancient Cross Timbers". University of Oklahoma . Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  15. Oklahoma Forestry Services. "Oklahoma's Forests > Oklahoma's Major Forest Types > Post Oak-Blackjack Forest". Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  16. Engle, David M. (18 March 1997). "Oak ecology". Stillwater, Oklahoma: Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University . Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  17. Hogan, C. Michael (26 November 2012). "Oak". In Dawson, A.; Cleveland, C.J. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington DC: National Council for Science and the Environment. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013.
  18. Shapiro, Leo (28 September 2012). "Quercus marilandica – Blackjack Oak". Encyclopedia of Life. Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  19. Hatch, Stephan L.; Pluhar, Jennifer, eds. (1999). Texas Range Plants. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN   0-89096-538-2.