SHINGLE OAK (Quercus imbricaria):
Height: 40 to 60 feet
Spread: 40 to 60 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Description: Yellowish green
Sun: Full sun
Suggested Use: Shade Tree, Street Tree
Flower: Insignificant
Tolerate: Black Walnut
Fall Color: Variations of Red & Yellow
Native to: Jefferson County
This tree is part of the red oak family with a conical shape and is considered a medium sized oak tree. The grain on the tree is rather straight, which made the tree the perfect species to create wood shingles which is where the common name originates. The leaves have a shape that is atypical to the common perception of oak leaves, as the leaves are not lobed and are a narrow, oblong, and smooth margined with a rich dark glossy green appearance. The leaves are almost magnolia like in appearance. The tree can be pruned and kept as a hedge.
The Shingle oak is found most abundantly in the Ohio Valley and the Shingle Oak was second only to the White Oak in population in Jefferson County. The tree has seen a significant decline since settlement took place and is not harder to find in the wild.
The Shingle Oak hosts 477 species of butterflies and moths in Jefferson County including the Banded Purple Butterfly, Spun Glass Slug, Clymene Moth, and Great Leopard Moth. Shingle Oaks attract a variety of bird species including attracts Woodpeckers, Orioles, Vireos, Wrens, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Finches, Grosbeaks, Titmouse, Nuthatches, Mockingbirds, Chickadees, Warblers, Towhees, and Thrushes. The acorns are a significant source of food for squirrels and blue jays.
