Overcup
Oak
(Quercus
lyrata Walt.)
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Overcup
oak, sometimes known as Swamp post oak, is only found in river
bottoms and rich low grounds of the Coastal Plain but is not abundant
anywhere in North Carolina. It is found inland in North Carolina
from the coast to Anson, Chatham, Guilford, Orange and Nash counties.
Overcup oak leaves are 6 to 10 inches long and separated into
five to nine rounded lobes by deep or shallow sinuses. The leaves
vary in the shape, number and size of the lobe, but they all gradually
narrow to the base, making this end of the leaf wedge-shaped.
The overcup oak acorn is 1/2 to 1 inch long with a somewhat flattened
spherical shape, usually broader at the base than long, and entirely
or almost entirely covered by a scaly cup (hence the common name,
Overcup oak). The red-tinged gray bark is rough and flaky.
While overcup oak can grow to 60 to 80 feet in height and 2 to
3 feet in diameter, it usually will be smaller. The form and quality
of the tree vary greatly throughout its range, but often it will
be short and crooked. The wood is heavy, hard, strong and durable
and is used for the same purposes as white oak. |
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