Identify the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), also called the rock oak, growing in Georgia by its non-lobed, shiny dark-green leaves that have lighter-green undersides and turn yellow or orange-yellow in fall. The
Identify the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), also called the rock oak, growing in Georgia by its non-lobed, shiny dark-green leaves that have lighter-green undersides and turn yellow or orange-yellow in fall. The leaves have rounded teeth along the edges. The mature chestnut oak has gray bark with deep, V-shaped ridges and 1- to 1 ½-inch-long acorns growing on short stalks.
Look for leaves that are similar to the chestnut oak but have grayish-green, felt-textured undersides to identify the swamp chestnut oak or basket oak (Q. michauxii). The swamp chestnut oak's bark is light-gray with rough, flaky ridges and its leaves turn dull-red to maroon in fall. This oak tree produces 1- to 1 ½-inch-wide acorns in abundance.
Spot the scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) growing in poor soils, dry uplands and on slopes in Georgia. The scarlet oak has deeply-lobed, 3- to 5-inch-long leaves with bristle-like tips that turn vibrant scarlet-red in autumn. The scarlet oak tree produces small, less than 1-inch-long acorns that a