Bill's Botanical Forays

Along Bald Eagle Drive, I spotted a odd-ball looking Black Oak (Quercus velutina). My first inclination is to simply call it a pure Black Oak, but its leaves are not typical. I believe there is a possibility that it could be a hybrid with another oak like the Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra). According to the literature, Black Oaks readily hybridize with other members of the red oak group. The leaves on this tree are much fuller, like the Northern Red Oak, and larger (up to 10 or 12 inches) than what I have seen from other black oaks. However, one explanation for that is the leaves could be the so-called shade leaves. The tree had acorns, and had a base reminiscent to the a typical but they were not mature enough to unequivocally say for certain which species they are from. At the very least we can say that the tree has a strong Black Oak strain to it. I would like to have at least one or two other sets of expert eyes check this guy out before making a final determination.