Quercus marilandica
| Blackjack Oak | |
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| Dormant blackjack in the Cross Timbers of Lincoln County, Oklahoma | |
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| Species: | Q. marilandica
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| Binomial name | |
| Quercus marilandica | |
The Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) is a small oak, one of the red oak group Quercus sect. Lobatae, but fairly isolated from the others. It is native to the eastern United States, from southern New York (Long Island) south to northern Florida and west to southeastern Nebraska and central Texas.
It is a small deciduous tree growing to 15 m tall, with bark cracked into rectangular black plates with narrow orange fissures. The leaves are 7-20 cm long and broad, and typically flare from a tapered base to a broad three-lobed bell shape with only shallow indentations. They are dark green and glossy above, pubescent underneath, and often remain attached to the twigs through the winter after turning brown in the fall. The acorn is small, 12-20 mm long and 10-18 mm broad; like other red oaks, it takes 18 months to mature.
The Blackjack oak grows in poor, thin, dry, rocky or sandy soils where few other woody plants can thrive, usually on low ground, from sea level up to 900 m altitude. It does not have the beautiful form of many oaks, but is nonetheless a valuable tree for growing in problem sites. It is sometimes an understory tree in pine stands on sandy knolls in the southeastern US. In northern Texas, central Oklahoma, into Kansas, it forms the "Cross Timbers" forests with Post oak. Along the coastal plain of New Jersey the probability of finding this species is increased in relatively sunny, open areas such as those near coastal salt marshes. It often occurs near Scarlet and Post Oaks as well as Pitch Pine; understory companions include Winged Sumac, Bracken, Sweet Fern, and Bayberry.
Uses
The wood is very dense, so much so that it will rapidly dull chainsaws. The density of the wood causes a very hot flame when burnt, making Blackjack oak wood the preferred fuel for slow-cooked (Carolina style) pork barbecues and a good heat source for wood-burning stoves, but not desirable in wood fireplaces because the heat causes "popping", increasing the risk of external fires.