Is this an oak sapling?

[MarcP]

Is this an oak sapling? If not, what else might it be?



This past summer, I photographed this plant growing in a nearby park in S.E. MI. Can anyone ID it?

[Mr_bobo_]

...yes its cute little oak ... Quercus robur

...and other plant is part of wild flowers... and that ones are the most hard for identification...
...I never saw it... but I have one magical book... I will check it but I can't promise anything...

[MarcP]

...yes its cute little oak ... Quercus robur

...and other plant is part of wild flowers... and that ones are the most hard for identification...
...I never saw it... but I have one magical book... I will check it but I can't promise anything...

Thank you

[purpleinopp]

Compare the flower plant to Lobelia siphilitica.

[MarcP]

Boy! That is really, really close. And that variety does grow in my county. Thank you!

[purpleinopp]

You're welcome! Had that for a few years (if your plant is the same) and lost track of it in one of the moves. A lovely long-bloomer, native.

[Jardin du Fort]

...yes its cute little oak ... Quercus robur

...and other plant is part of wild flowers... and that ones are the most hard for identification...
...I never saw it... but I have one magical book... I will check it but I can't promise anything...

I come up with a different name, given the source is in Michigan. Quercus robur is a European oak.

Quercus macrocarpa, "Burr Oak" Verrrry common. Also a delightful tree. Yours should be about 3' in diameter in a couple hundred years.

[!potatoes!]

there are enough species of oak, and they frequently have different enough leaf shape when small (especially if partially shaded) that it's a questionable endeavor to identify saplings to species - especially when we in the internet world can't see the makeup of the local forest. it could be burr oak...could be a number of other things. I've seen both red and white oaks that show about that leaf shape when young, even thought they look vastly different as adults.

but it's an oak for sure.

[MarcP]

I'll pay more attention to the leaves and acorns of the other oaks, next year. At least I'm fairly sure now that this IS an oak

[gumbo2176]

A couple years ago I picked up several bags of oak leaves that were picked up with a lawn vacuum at a local cemetery and I spread them in my garden between the rows. In about 3 months I had more acorns sprouting little oak saplings than I had vegetable plants. From now on I'll gather my own leaves and keep the acorns to a minimum.


I did give several to a friend that does Bonsai and he is training them. He has infinitely more patience than me when it comes to that type thing.

[MarcP]

That's good to know. I didn't realize acorns would root that easily.

[purpleinopp]

Oh my, one of my beds is under an oak tree which rains acorns every fall. All summer and fall, there are sprouts to pull every day, sometimes 5, sometimes 100.

In OH I had beds under silver maple trees at one place and it was the same thing there except the maples all seem to sprout at once, not all summer. For about 2 weeks, I would spend hours every day pulling up tiny maple trees.

As far as "weeding" goes, trees and grass have always taken most of my time at any location.

[Shade]

Oaks have two main divisions. The White Oak group and the Red Oak Group. White oaks have leaves with rounded lobes and Red oaks have leaves with pointed or sharp lobes. Oaks are notoriously difficult to identify to species, especially at that age. It is definitely in the Red Oak Group however. One thing I can tell you is that it is suffering from Chlorosis. This is probably due to a high alkaline soil. Alkaline soils bind up the nutrients so the roots can't absorb them. Chlorosis is usually due to a iron or manganese deficiency which is a symptom of alkaline soils that keep the plant from absorbing these minerals. The way you can visibly tell a plant is suffering from chlorosis is the dark green along the veins and the lighter, yellow-green color in between the veins.

https://www.hardwoodgenomics.org/sites/d ... nhouse.jpg

[MarcP]

Thank you! That's all very good to know. This little sapling is growing in a drainage ditch which can't be a healthy environment. I might see about transplanting it this spring. Thanks again for your input.
Marc