Scarlet oak or pin oak?

Lanier_Lurker · October 21, 2007, 12:05:11 AM

<This topic is being transferred from the Crash Forum>

The Forestry Forum CRASH OF 2007 ARCHIVES
General Forestry => Tree and Plant I.D. => Topic started by: Lanier_Lurker on October 12, 2007, 11:34:37 AM

Title: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Lanier_Lurker on October 12, 2007, 11:34:37 AM
I am leaning strongly towards scarlet, but want to be sure since I intend to provide some seed acorns from these trees to some FF members - and I am calling them scarlet. ;)

These trees are planted as ornamentals outside of the State Archives building across from the Georgia Capitol building.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: WDH on October 13, 2007, 01:22:36 AM
I am thinking that they are pin oak. Scarlet oak acorns have an acorn cup that is encloses about half the nut, more so than pin oak. I don't see from the pic that the acorn cup really encloses half the nut from the scars left by the acorn cup in the pic. Also, I see no concentric rings around the acorn tip, which is seen in Scarlet oak.

Go to your graveyard where you posted a pic in the OLD FORUM of a Scarlet Oak and check out those acorns and see if they are different than the ones in this post

.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Lanier_Lurker on October 13, 2007, 08:20:43 AM
The cups are separating easily and I don't think I have any with the cups still attached, but I am pretty sure you are right: they enclose only a small portion of the acorn.

SD will be disappointed. :(

Now that I think about it, the form of these trees may also be an indicator that they are pin oak. But since they are open grown and not forest grown then the normal expectations of tree form may not apply.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: SwampDonkey on October 13, 2007, 01:10:12 PM
;D I'll be the first with Pin Oak in NB. ;)

They will be yard trees, not growing them for lumber. Got an old shed that I buried just waiting for some trees to make a new home on.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: WDH on October 14, 2007, 12:01:28 AM
I will scrounge up a scarlet oak acorn tomorrow and post it if I can scrounge up one the squirrels missed ;D.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Brian Beauchamp on October 15, 2007, 05:28:02 PM
Judging by the size of those acorns, I'd say it's a Shumard. The acorns for most all of the Pin Oaks I've seen are wider than they are long. Those look more like the acorns from a Shumard. The leaves have a lot of variability...even in a single tree depending on the location in the canopy. A picture of the tree itself would help get a positive ID as well.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: WDH on October 15, 2007, 05:35:11 PM
It is possible that they are Shumard, but I have never seen Shumard Oak planted as an ornamental. Pin Oak ornamentals are everywhere. The size of the acorns might be influenced by the site. Atlanta is not a bottomland (typical Shumard site), but it is full of unpleasant creatures ;D.

The leaves do look more like Shumard than Pin Oak. Interesting.................

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Brian Beauchamp on October 15, 2007, 05:47:00 PM
We find Shumards and Pins on the same sites here...mostly bottomland. They aren't as typical as ornamentals, like you said though.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Lanier_Lurker on October 16, 2007, 07:30:42 AM
The acorns seem larger than they actually are because the leaves are quite small. I should have placed something in the picture for scale.

I will post additional pictures when I get the chance.

Title: Re: Scarlet oak or pin oak?
Post by: Brian Beauchamp on October 17, 2007, 06:50:50 PM
Pin Oak acorns:

Shumard Oak acorns:

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Here is my original picture along with a couple of new pictures that show the lower bark in one, and the upper bark and limbs in the other.