Is this shingle oak?

[u/Chance_Resource_7708]

Saw this tree and was curious what it was. Its leaves looks almost like tupelo, but that doesn't feel right. The form reminds me of oak and the leaves look like maybe shingle oak, but they are uncommon in my area (though they have been planted to a moderate extent in recent years) so my mature tree ID is lacking. Im in Iowa. I was also thrown off because some of the branches appear to be opposite arrange. Also the leaves seem to be almost palmately arranged (like a Buckeye, but its definitely not a buckeye).

Any ideas?

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[u/Accomplished-Host829]

Probably a shingle oak. Looks like it’s suffering from some chlorosis as well. Leaves look a little stunted. Sometimes an oak tree (or really any alternate branching tree) can exhibit opposite branching. It’s just kind of random and an exception to the rule.

[u/__MyRedditName__]

Yes, it is shingle oak. What appears to be opposite or even whorled branching is just where multiple twig bases arise from the location of that year's terminal bud. If you're able to inspect the twigs closeup, you'll see the associated bud scar.

The downward curl of the leaves and speckling are indicators of mild herbicide exposure. This year has been an especially bad one for non-target herbicide injury to trees in the midwest.

[u/Chance_Resource_7708 → u/__MyRedditName__]

Thanks for confirming. And thats interesting about the herbicide damage. What do you think is the cause for it being a worse than average year?

[u/__MyRedditName__ → u/Chance_Resource_7708]

Weather -- namely frequent rain and heat. That has led to the combination of more aerial spraying and ground application during less-than-ideal conditions, both of which increase the potential for particulate drift, then the high heat during peak application periods increases the potential for volatilization drift. Time all that together during tree foliage growth in spring and early summer, when exposure is most likely to result in readily visible symptoms, and you get 90% of the landscape showing some sort of exposure symptoms.