Quercus velutina
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Prefers rich, well drained soils, but is highly adaptable to dry sandy soil as well.
• Bloom Time: Non-showy yellow catkins in April and May
• Size: 50-80 feet in height; 10-20 foot spread
Black oak is extremely similar to many of the other oak species on the Cape, such as Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea), but has a few distinguishing features. When the leaves first emerge each spring, they are slightly fuzzy, covered in small hairs, this is where the species name, velutina, comes from. Additionally, the bark features deep black fissures that set this tree apart from other oaks. But like all oaks, black oaks provide incredible benefits as a host to a variety of beneficial insects.
Garden Companions
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)
Nature Benefits
• Acorns provide food for a variety of wildlife.
• Serves as an important host plant for numerous species of insects, which in turn are food for birds.
Native Habitat
Upland areas of forests and woodlands.