Shingle Oak is a medium-sized tree most common near rivers in the southwestern mountains of North Carolina. There are records for just two Piedmont counties in NC, but in Virginia it is more widespread.

The leaves resemble those of Willow Oak (Q. phellos), but are broader, longer, and softly pubescent beneath. They are dark green, lustrous, and smooth above.

Franklin, Macon Co., NC 5/13/06 (all photos).

The leaf undersides are paler and uniformly soft-pubescent.

Underside view of a large tree (looking directly up).

Bark of a small tree. The bark is rougher than that of Willow Oak.

Bark of a medium-sized tree.

This possible hybrid between Q. phellos and Q. velutina strongly resembles Shingle Oak (Q. imbricaria), but lacks that species's uniformly soft-pubesence on the underside. This tree is in Raleigh, NC, 2 counties from the nearest known range of Shingle Oak in Virginia. There is some pubescence on the underside of the leaves, but it easily rubs off, just like that on Black Oak (Q. velutina) leaves.

Photo by Joseph Covington.

Some of the leaves of this tree have irregular lobes.

Raleigh, NC 6/11/06.

Acorn from the same tree. Photo by Joseph Covington.