Sawtooth Oak

Growth Form:  Tree

General:   Tree with furrowed bark and a pyramidal crown that becomes rounded with age.

Flowers:   Typical of oaks.

Fruits and Seeds:   Acorns 0.5-1.5 in. long. Cap is key to identification, covers half of nut, with reflexed scales giving bristly appearance.

Leaves:   Simple, alternate, not lobed, broadest near base, tapering to the tip, margins sharply serrate, dead leaves hange on tree in winter.

Stems or Branches:  

Threatens:   Savannas, prairies, forests, and glades.

Look-Alikes:   Shingle Oak (Q. imbricaria), native, leave margins entire, acorn caps smooth, leaves with single bristle at leaf tip. American Chestnut (Castenea dentata), native, fruits mostly round (flattened on one side) each in a bur with sharp spines. White Oak (Q. alba) and Chinkapin Oak (Q. muhlenburgii), natives, do not have bristles at the tips of teeth on leaves, although teeth may be strongly pointed.

Distribution:   Native to E Asia. Escaping in AL, GA, LA, MD, NC, PA, TN, VA.

Other Links:  

http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=10086
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=143169