We planted this tree in the front yard twenty-one years ago. It was one year-old bare root stock; a pencil-size twig. And for the longest time we never thought it would amount to anything.
It's grown into a handsome young oak tree. Further evidence of its maturation, it is bearing a sizeable crop of acorns again. And if history repeats itself, when they ripen they'll barely last a week as the critters will hoover them up in short order.
The species has been forgotten so I asked a forester pal if she might ID the tree for me. She is confident that it is a Northern Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) commonly known as a Hill's oak.
Towards the end of last month I noticed that the tree had large numbers of catkins hanging from the branches as the leaves of 2025 emerged from their buds.
Yes, oak trees have blossoms too.
These are one of the flowers that are produced by the tree – the male
flower to be certain. This species is monoecious – meaning that it produces both
male and female flowers. Each male flower typically has six stamens (ranges from
two to twelve) which have long spreading white filaments when the flower fully
opens. The female flowers are more
reddish-green and appear as small slender spikes in the axils of new growth.
I gave this tree a thorough examination and could find no flowers of the female persuasion. Not surprising inasmuch as they are not visible to the naked eye. It is from the female flower that acorns are formed. This species begins producing acorns around 15 to 20 years of age; give or take. Large numbers of acorns won't materialize until the tree is fifty years of age. Which makes sense for a tree that will live 90 to 120 years of age.
As a general rule the acorns will mature in late summer and begin falling in September or October.
This tree has been producing acorns for about 6 to 7 years. From last week there is this.
Overachiever.....
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