WILLOW OAK

any of several species of North American ornamental and timber trees belonging to the red oak group of the genus Quercus, in the beech family (Fagaceae), which have willowlike leaves. Specifically, willow oak refers to Quercus phellos, native to poorly drained areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and the Mississippi Valley region. About 18 metres (60 feet) tall, it has drooping lower branches and slender side branches, with spurlike branchlets similar to those of pin oak. The trunk has an almost conical symmetrical crown; the smooth grayish-black bark becomes roughly ridged on older trees. The pale-green, tapering leaves turn yellow in autumn. Willow oak is widely planted as an ornamental and street tree in the southern United States; it grows quickly and has a shallow root system. Water oak (Q. nigra), laurel oak (Q. laurifolia), shingle oak (Q. imbricaria), and live oak (see live oak) are other willow oaks planted as ornamentals in the southern U.S. Water oak, also known as possum oak and spotted oak, is a bottomland species of the southeastern U.S. coastal plains, up to about 25 m tall. Its glossy, blue-green leaves vary in shape and size but are usually spoon-shaped or oblong, slightly lobed at the apex. They turn yellow in autumn and persist into winter. The small acorns are set in shallow, scaly or hairy cups. Laurel oak, sometimes called Darlington, diamond-leaf, or water oak, is a stately tree, up to 18 m tall, found on sandy soils of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. It produces a large annual crop of dark-brown or black, egg-shaped acorns. Shingle oak, a similar tree with longer and wider leaves, was a source of roofing and siding shingles for the early pioneers; its timber is still used in construction.