Identifying Water Oak (Quercus nigra)

[DanG]

No, and I'm pretty DanG sure I don't want to know.

[tcsmpsi]

Do you know how it got that name?

Because of its particular method of 'weeping'? 

[WDH]

It is a famous plant.  The South Eastern Native Americans used the plant to brew a tea from the plant called the "black drink".  It was used by the native peoples as a emetic to induce vomiting to purge themselves as a part of their religious ceremonies. 

[tcsmpsi]

Anything that prolific would have to be famous, rather than simply infamous.   

Thanks, Danny.

I didn't know that, and am glad to know it.

[WDH]

In Macon, GA, the archeologists found a series of earthen mounds.  They were exavated in the early 1900's.  One was an earth-lodge (circa 1200 - 1400 A.D.) where the ceremonies were held.  The interior was a ring of seats.  In front of each seat was a little vomit pit to catch the purge.  The pit was made of white clay.  The size of the seat and the pit was largest at the beginning of the ring (the largest was for the chief) and as you proceeded around the ring and the individuals status in society was lower, the seats and the pits grew proceedingly smaller.  If you ever get to Macon, GA, make a point to visit the mounds there.  The museum of the artifacts is really informative, and they give tours of the earth lodge.  The native americans knew a great deal about the properties of the indeginous flora.

[limbrat]

Does water oak have a low land cousin? I noticed some real big burly ugly ones this weekend in a area that gets a couple of feet of standing water a couple of times a year for a couple of weeks at a time. Or is it growing conditions that make them look like halloween trees?

[WDH]

There are two other lowland oaks that are somewhat similiar to water oak.  Willow oak (Quercus phellos) has a leaf that looks like a black willow.  The leaf is not lobed and is much longer than wide.  The shape is very uniform, and comes to a point, unlike water oak with the spatula shaped leaf widest at the tip.

The other oak is laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), and there is a bunch of it in LA.  The leaf is also more regular in shape and is not distinctly widest at the tip like water oak.  The leaf is much fatter in the middle than willow oak.  Also, the petioles are yellow, a very helpful feature in ID. 

Water oak will grow in a wet bottom too, so it could be any of the three.

[limbrat]

I will get back out there next weekend to have a better look and get the last of the mayhaws if there are any left.

[WDH]

Look for that yellow petiole .