The WOOD is heavy, hard, and strong, light brown in color, with lighter-colored [sapwood]. The wood is utilized chiefly for crossties and fuel.
WILLOW OAK (Pin Oak)
Quercus phellos L.
Willow oak, also called water oak, and pin oak, occurs in the eastern part of the state to the Brazos River. It is frequently found in lowlands and along the borders of rivers and swamps, but often also on rich sandy uplands. It is a beautiful and long-lived tree, and desirable for roadsides, lawns and parks.
The [BARK] is generally smooth and of a reddish-brown color; with age, the bark becomes slightly roughened and divided by narrow ridges.
WILLOW OAK (Twig, one-half natural size; leaf and [fruit], one-third natural size)
The slender willow-like LEAVES on a tree whose habit of growth is manifestly that of an oak, make the tree easy to identify in the forest. The [deciduous] leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and ½ to 1 inch wide, smooth, light green and shiny above, but dull and usually smooth below; [alternate] in arrangement on the twig and borne on a short stout [petiole].
The [FRUIT], small acorns, closely set along the stem, matures at the end of the second year. The [nut] is a light yellow-brown hemisphere, about ½ inch in diameter, its base scarcely enclosed in the shallow, pale greenish-red or reddish-brown cup. The nuts are eaten as food by bluejays, grackles (blackbirds), several other species of birds, and by rodents.
The WOOD is not separated commercially from other species in the red oak group. It is heavy, strong, rather coarse-grained, light brown tinged with red, and not durable when exposed to the weather. It is used locally for crossties, bridge planks, barn sills, and general construction.