BLACK OAK; YELLOW OAK; YELLOW BARK OAK (Quereu, celutina, Lam.). 70 to 90 feet; rarely 150 feet. Irregular, rugged oak with narrow head of slender branches, ending in velvety, stout twigs, with large, hoary tomentose winter buds. Bark black, or nearly so, thick, deeply furrowed, with inner layers deep rich in tannin, which extends to the Wood light reddish brown, coarse grained, hard, heavy, not tough, used in general construction, furniture, and cooperage. Bark for tanning. Leaves 4 to 10 inches long, coarse, harsh, leathery in texture, dark green above, brownish with short velvet or tufts of hair in angles of veins. Lobes 7 to 9, deeply cut, broad, with rounded si
nuses and bristly points not inclining toward apex of leaf. At first, red, velvety with silvery sheen; in autumn brownish yellow. Flowers May, profuse or scant, with red forked stigmas and yellow catkin fringes. Acorns biennial, solitary or paired, short-stalked; nut ovoid, smooth, in cup of loose scales, fringed at rim, which is not incurved. Kernel bitter, yellow. Dist.: Rich soil, Maine to Florida; west to Minne sota, Kansas, and Texas.