The Mystery Oak: Quercus shumardii Buckley at Buckhorn Island P. M. Eckel, Buffalo Museum of Science, June 19, 2002

Just last year (2001) in a fine floristic completely tan-hairy buds) and Pin Oak. Very many evaluation of a native wetland woods located in of the variable leaves of Shumard Oak are square to Niagara County (North Tonawanda), New York short-rectangular in outline, many with a little "bow- published in Clintonia by Shawn McCourt, provi- tie" pair of lobes at the leaf base. Another curiosity is sional mention was made of a collection of Quercus that in numerous leaves the empty space between the shumardii, under the direction of NFBS member lobes is 0-shaped (a closed loop) whereas in the other Carol Sweeney, a specialist in the study of the genus species it is U-shaped (open at the top). Quercus. The specimen was later verified by R. J. Although Buckhorn has a good representation Jensen as Shumard's Oak and she duly published her of a Red-Silver Maple swamp woods in the east find in the NYFA newsletter. This tree has recently section of the park on the north side of the East-West been regarded as absent from New York State by River Pkwy, the seasonally wet woods in which Mitchell (1997) and Jensen (1997), although known Shumard's Oak was found on the south side of the from peninsular Niagara (Ontario) (Waldron 1982 & Parkway have the same vegetational character as etc.). Dr. Sweeney shared her find with myself and Klydell woods and the two are probably ecologically Richard Zander of the Clinton Herbarium. From the related. A similar Oak-Hickory wet woods occurs on experience gained in hunting for the species at Navy Island, Ontario, where it is likely that Shumar Klydell, I found additional Shumard oaks in Buck- Oak may also be found. horn Island State Park on the East-West River Park- Grateful acknowledgement is made to Carol way east of the I-90 expressway, their identity Sweeney for drawing attention to this most inter- verified also by Dr. Jensen. As in Klydell woods the esting tree, and to Richard Jensen for kindly verifying trees were associated with a soil regime that is wet in the Buckhorn specimen during the excitement of final spring, dry in autumn, with sparse vegetation, that exam week, 2002. mostly graminoids, with Lindera benzoin the dominant shrub species. The woods is also charac- Jensen, Richard J. 1997. Quercus Linnaeus sect. Lobatae Loudon. terized by numerous mature individuals of Carya In Flora of North America. Flora of North America Editorial Committee. Oxford University Press. pp. 447- laciniosa, C. ovata, C. glabra, C. cordiformis, 468. Quercus palu-stris, Q. bicolor, Q. macrocarpa with McCourt, Shawn C. 2001a. The flora and ecology of Klydel scattered individuals of Fraxinus pensylvanica, woods, a wetland forest in North Tonawanda, NY. Part I. Ulmus americana, and occasional Acer rubrum and Clintonia Vol. 16 (3) pp.1-4. A. saccharinum. McCourt, Shawn C. 2001b. The flora and ecology of Klydel Quercus shumardii woods, a wetland forest in North Tonawanda, NY. Part II. at this site, as at Klydell, is Clintonia Vol. 16 (4) pp.7-10. somewhat atypical in its very red coloration (not Mitchell, Richard S. & Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised yellowish gray in twigs and terminal buds). Checklist of New York State Plants. N.Y. St. Mus. Bull. Tomentum in leaf axils may or may not be a good 490. character in our area, due to the genetic contri- Sweeney, Carol R. 2001. Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii butions of conspicuously hairy Quercus velutina to Buckley) Discovered in Western New York. New York Flora Association Newsletter. 12(4):pp. 3-4. both Q. rubra and Q. shumardii in this northern part Waldron, G. E. 1982. Status report on Shumard oak, Quercus of the ranges of these oaks. The Pin Oak (Q. shumardii (Fasgaceae). Committee on the Status of palustris) was for me the most difficult to disting- Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Canadian Wildlife uish from Shumard Oak at both Klydell and Buck- Service. Ottawa. 22 pp. Unpublished. horn. Pin Oak usually has a skirt of branches coming Waldron, G. E. 1983. Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) new to Ontario. Plant Press 1:54. out of the trunk starting at ground level; it has fewer Waldron, G. E. 1987. Quercus shumardii Buckl. (Fagaceae) Atlas lobes (to around 7) whereas both Red and Shumard of the Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario. National Museum Oak have more: 9 to 11 lobes. The acorns of Pin Oak of Natural Sciences, Ottawa. (looseleaf). are very uniform in size: small, their caps as thin and Waldron, D. E. et al. 1987. Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii, in flat as a dime. Acorns of Shumard and Red Oak are Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 101(4): 532-538. larger and variable with bigger, deeper caps. Leaves ______of Red Oak are distinguished by their dull (not shiny) * Originally published as Eckel, P. M. 2002. The upper surface, by being long-rectangular in outline mystery oak: Quercus shumardii Buckley at with lobes that are very shallow. Shumard Oak leaves Buckhorn Island. Clintonia 17(4): 8. Reprinted with are shiny (as is Pin Oak) with lobes as deep as long- permission. rectangular Black Oak (Quercus velutina which has