Scientific Name
Quercus imbricaria
Shingle oak is native to a swath of the U.S. Midwest, from roughly Pittsburgh to Kansas City. Though this species is quite well adapted to life in our urban area, its addition to our urban forest is somewhat recent, and most specimens are still young. The largest one in Colorado at present is 66 feet tall, which is a typical height we can expect at maturity. Shingle oaks have a moderate growth rate but lack the longevity of many other oak species, though as trees go, this only means it has an average life span.
The most notable thing about this tree is its shiny foliage, which is not very oak-like, resembling laurel in being narrow — three or four times longer than wide — with a smooth edge often curved under. This tree generally holds its dry foliage for a long time during the winter. As a subtle indicator of being a part of the red oak group, the leaves usually have a single bristle at the tip. The bitter acorns have caps that cover about a third to a half of their length. If a tree has no acorns, it can sometimes be difficult to identify it as an oak from the leaf shape alone, since other diagnostic features are rather subtle. The wood of this oak is easy to split by hand into shingles, hence the origin of its name. The fall leaf color is not memorable.