Ed: Will is right-on with his differences between black and scarlet oak. But here are a few more that may help. Scarlet sinuses on the leaves are mostly "C" shaped --that is they have a tendency to close back on themselves. And the "C" in coccinea (the species name) is a mnemonic device for this. Black oak leaf sinuses are mostly "V" shaped--that is they usually open out straight. And the shade leaves of scarlet express this almost as well as the sun leaves whereas the shade leaves of black oak are usually very shallowly lobed (shallow sinuses). Acorn caps of scarlet are not as hairy (pubescent) as black and there are usually (but not always) concentric rings at the bottom of scarlet oak acorns. This time of year and into the winter, the buds give the best and most consistent characteristic. Most scarlet oak buds are reddish and glabrous except for white pubescence at the top of the bud--sort of a snow-capped mountain effect. Black oak buds are usually completely covered in a tawny (tan) covered pubescence. You'll note my use of the word "usually" since you can find exceptions. And with the way the red oaks hybridize among themselves, more confusion can occur due to the mixing of these characteristics--enough to drive any dendrology student (and sometimes professors) crazy! And it would not surprise me that these characteristics found in the Upstate of South Carolina might not be so well-drfined further north. Guess that is what makes tree ID so mch fun! One comment on seeing Will and his 10 year old son in the tree. Leads me to hypothesize that fear of height (or lack thereof in this case) is strongly genetic to begin with at least. But no doubt having a dad who climbs may overcome that fear if it is inherent. I've about given up trying to overcome it. Vic Shelburne Clemson, SC
________________________________ From: [email protected] on behalf of Will Blozan Sent: Fri 10/16/2009 5:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Re: Super scarlets Ed, They are hardly confusable. Scarlet leaves are deeply incised and much smaller than the black oak. Scarlet tends to have distinct white stripes on the bark even down low; black is more irregularly furrowed, sometimes blocky or corky. Scarlet leaves are glabrous and black are often hairy beneath at least in the axils of the veins. Also, scarlet often has persistent dead branches and are rather messy looking. And lastly, fall color is very different; scarlet is named for its fall color. Black is more yellow-orange (down here). Oh yeah, black oak has distinctly angled (and large) buds when viewed straight on from the tip (Lee showed me this). To me, northern red and black are way more similar, especially up north. Will F. Blozan President, Eastern Native Tree Society President, Appalachian Arborists, Inc. ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Edward Frank Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 4:27 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Re: Super scarlets Will, Very nice scarlet oak. Congratulations to Aven on his climb. What is a good way to tell the difference between Scarlet Oak and Black Oak? Ed "Oh, I call myself a scientist. I wear a white coat and probe a monkey every now and then, but if I put monetary gain ahead of preserving nature...I couldn't live with myself." - Professor Hubert Farnsworth --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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