SHINGLE OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, three-fourths natural size.
The bark is rather thin and divided by shallow fissures into broad ridges of a dark brown color.
The leaves are alternate in arrangement along the stem, oblong in shape, 4 to 6 inches long by 1 to 2 inches wide, leathery in texture with smooth margins sometimes wavy in outline, dark green and shiny above, and thick downy or velvety below.
The fruit is an acorn about one-half inch in length, borne singly or in pairs on stout stems, full or rounded at the end and faintly streaked, enclosed for about one-half its length in a thin-walled cup. Like all members of the black oak group, the fruit requires two seasons to mature.
The wood is heavy, hard, rather coarse-grained, and used for common lumber, shingles (whence it gets its common name), posts and firewood.
The willow oak, Quercus phellos L., is a river bottom tree rarely found in southern Illinois. It is readily identified by its leaves, which as the name implies, resemble those of the willows. These leaves are from two to four inches long and one-half to one inch wide, light green, shiny above and smooth beneath.
