Leaf Identification
The leaves of the Ware’s Oak are simple (no leaflets), alternately arranged on the stem, pinnately veined, and lobed. There are numerous fingerlike lobes along the leaf margin; the lobing is not symmetrical. The leaf is dark green above and pale silvery-white below. The shape is obovate to elliptic
Twig and Bud Identification
The twig is dark brown with white lenticels (pores). The axillary buds are smaller than the terminal buds, which are brown and clustered.
Bark Identification
The Ware’s Oak has dark brown and plated bark, which can reveal a tan interior.
Fruit Identification
The fruit of the Ware’s Oak is an acorn. The acorn has a large warty-scaled cup that covers an ovoid nut. The acorns are often paired on stalks longer than the acorns themselves. The acorns mature in the fall.
Flower Identification
The flowers of the Ware’s Oak are monoecious (male and female flowers exist separately but on the same tree). The staminate (male) flowers are greenish hanging catkins (long, slender clusters of unisexual flowers), and the pistillate (female) flowers are in small, inconspicuous clusters on the leaf axils. The flowers bloom in the spring.
[photo forthcoming]