Identifying Hardwoods Growing on Pine Sites

The oaks are divided into two main groups: the white oaks and the red (or black) oaks. The white oaks have leaves with rounded lobes and no bristles; acorns mature the first fall, and the inner surface of the shell is glabrous. White oak, chestnut oak, and post oak belong to this group. The red oak group is characterized by bristle-tipped leaf lobes in such species as Shumard, southern red, northern red, cherrybark, and black oak. The red oak group also includes non-lobed species such as water, laurel, and willow oak, which usually have entire margins. Blackjack oak leaves usually lack lobes and bristles, but leaves with terminal lobes occasionally occur and may have one bristle per lobe. Acorns mature the second fall, and the inner surface of the shell is pubescent.