flaflwrgrl said:I followed that Key thing all the way to it's conclusion for this tree & ended up with Q. coccinea but it doesn't apparently occur in Texas sooooooooooo...... It sure looked right to me though!
The USDA has it in LA but that's where it ends.
http://plants.usda.gov/core/pr...
Terminal buds large and covered entirely with thick blond hair (velutinous), lower leaf surface with yellowish pubescence which may cover the entire surface or be primarily in the vein axils
Terminal buds without blond hair or hairy only on the upper half, lower leaf surface without yellowish pubescence
wildflowers said:Hmm. It's not unheard of for me to find plants growing here that aren't listed in Texas but nearby, east to LA or north in OK so it is possible.
Thank you Ann, I'll check it out.
Bark: At first gray and smooth, becoming thick and very rough, nearly black and deeply furrowed vertically with horizontal breaks. The inner bark is yellow-orange and very bitter tasting
Twig: Stout and red-brown to gray-green, usually glabrous but rapidly growing twigs may be hairy; buds are very large (1/4 to 1/2 inch long), buff-colored, fuzzy, pointed and distinctly angular.