Quercus nigra

Preferred Conditions: Requires good moisture with a reasonable nutrient content. It is often found growing along waterways and swamps.

Tolerances: Not tolerant of prolonged dry conditions. High tolerance to waterlogged soils

Useful Life Expectancy (ULE): Medium, a tree on Raheen Drive, Kew is more than 120 years in age and in fair condition.

Significance: This tree is part of a mixed group of Oaks planted in the streets of Ballan. As they grow towards their mature proportions, they will create a strong streetscape, with a variety of autumn colours and forms.

Flowering Characteristics: Catkins, that are mostly indistinct.

Fruit: Acorns small, 1-2cm long and a short cup that just covers its base; taking 2 years to ripen. Raw acorns can be toxic to animals and humans unless the poison is leached out.

Features: Foliage, leaves are simple, dark green in colour, mostly cuneate in shape to lobed, with 1-3 lobs throughout the canopy of individual trees. Dark green in colour, they colour to yellows in autumn. Though often in mild winters this type of tree will retain some green leaves throughout the winter.

Bark is mostly smooth, dark grey to black in colour.

Points of Interest: Unusual tree, part of a mixed planting of Oaks as street trees; will grow to become a significant tree in this position.

The wood is pale in colour, rarely straight grained. It is prone to the rapid ingress of fungal decay when lopped. This type of tree tries to outgrow the fungus, rather than compartmentalise it.

Often used as flooring and furniture timber.