Monster Acorn update & ID

[turtlshell]

Well the 50mph winds yesterday put the crop on the ground quickly. I did more collecting and took more pictures to help aid in possible ID. It's certainly some form of bur oak, but on 'roids. We'll maybe not 'roids since those tend to shrivel nuts

Another quick question before the pictures. A lot of acorns "blown" from this tree are still green. Will the continue to ripen, like a banana?...and will they be viable?

End-buds, bark/twig perspective
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single leaf and unripe nuts still in cap.
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another twig perspective
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bottom side of twig perspective
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[josh macfarland]

They'll ripen on the ground.

arrow flinger

 

[letemgrow]

The caps are not like a bur oak, the leaves look like they are some type of bur, but not exactly like a bur oak.

Is this the tree on the IA State Campus?

 

[letemgrow]

At this stage in the game, the acorns should be ripe since they growing season is/nearly done now.

 

[turtlshell]

At this stage in the game, the acorns should be ripe since they growing season is/nearly done now.

so even the green acorns on the ground can/should be harvested? Surprisingly the acorns that are green are noticably larger. The shell isn't fully hardened yet, though.

This is the ISU Campus tree, and it is a notoriously later seed drop than it's white & bur oak neighbors.

 

[letemgrow]

so even the green acorns on the ground can/should be harvested? Surprisingly the acorns that are green are noticably larger. The shell isn't fully hardened yet, though.

This is the ISU Campus tree, and it is a notoriously later seed drop than it's white & bur oak neighbors.

I have been given many of those acorns over the past few years, I think its a cross with a bur x english oak possibly.

 

[Hardwood11]

Oak

It is not a bur oak acorn, I would agree with Letemgo, it is a hybrid possibly a white oak/bur oak cross? Maybe bur and english?

Either way, you are lucky to have a mature tree like that!

 

[letemgrow]

so even the green acorns on the ground can/should be harvested? Surprisingly the acorns that are green are noticably larger. The shell isn't fully hardened yet, though.

This is the ISU Campus tree, and it is a notoriously later seed drop than it's white & bur oak neighbors.

The acorns should come out of the caps easily, if they do, they are ripe to begin with and just drying on the tree.

 

[DWilk]

Definitely a hybrid. There are a lot of hybrids on campus. Where was it exactly? (former ISU forestry major )

 

[Sligh1]

I drive a lot so I get to stop at parks, hospital landscaping, city landscaping, etc- I see a lot of awesome producing oaks and grab a bunch from all sorts of great trees. Looks like you got a gem!

 

[Hardwood11]

obsessed with acorns

Picked up a bucket full of acorns in a state park (with permission)...you always get strange looks like what the he** is that guy doing?

 

[BOWDUDE]

My uncle is retired (x-State Forester) he said there are (2) main types (whites & reds).

That one is from the white oak type, he used to tell me when I was a kid to always remember white men shot bullets (rounded edges on leaves like bullets) and red man or indians shot arrows (pointed edges on the leaves), he said as long as I remembered that I cound hunt under a white oak if there was one around.

I have some shingle oaks at my place they seem to really look different.

Bowdude

 

[letemgrow]

My uncle is retired (x-State Forester) he said there are (2) main types (whites & reds).

That one is from the white oak type, he used to tell me when I was a kid to always remember white men shot bullets (rounded edges on leaves like bullets) and red man or indians shot arrows (pointed edges on the leaves), he said as long as I remembered that I cound hunt under a white oak if there was one around.

I have some shingle oaks at my place they seem to really look different.

Bowdude

Shingle oaks are in the red oak family. The white/red man thing is a very basic way to look at oaks, but works in most cases. :way: