The plant of the week this past week was an oak tree. This tree is actually in West Tennessee at my wife’s grandmother’s house. It is a very large and majestic tree that provides great shade and a bounty of acorns each year. The picture was taken from the base of the tree looking up at the canopy. As for the exact type of oak I suspect it is one of two possible candidates: the willow oak or the shingle oak.
The willow oak and shingle oak can be sometimes be confused due to the similar nature of their leaves. Each leaf is narrow and oval shaped as opposed to the ridged and pointed leaves of other oaks. The leaves of the shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) tend to be longer than the willow oak (Quercus phellos).
For more information and a quick identification guide follow this link (pdf file):
The University of Tennessee Extension: Identifying Oak Trees Native to Tennessee
