Quercus nigra

Water oak is in the red oak group (Lobatae), in the beech or Fagaceae family, and is native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kentucky and southern Missouri. It is found in the lowlands and up to 450 m in elevation and can reach 30 m in height.

• Leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple, 3–12 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, variable in shape, with sometimes 2-3 shallow lobes near the apex, rich green, hairless adaxially, some axillary tufts of hairs beneath; petiole is short (0.5 cm), hairless; leaves fall in late winter.
• Species is monoecious; male flowers are yellow-green catkins 5–8 cm long; female flowers are small, inconspicuous, appearing with the leaves in mid-spring.
The acorns are arranged singly or in pairs, 1–1.4 cm long and broad, with a shallow cup; they mature about 18 months after pollination, in the fall of second year.
• Bark is dark grey, smooth becoming marked by parallel grooves; twigs are dark brown, smooth, glabrescent; buds are brown, ovoid, hairy.