Oak trees lining both sides of Stange Road north of Bessey Hall.
This species
occurs across the southern third of Iowa, but is common only in the eastern
part of this range. It is native to central and eastern US, from Pennsylvania
to northeastern Alabama, and as far west as Arkansas and Nebraska. The word
"imbricaria" is Latin for "overlapping," and
the common name originated when the early settlers in Illinois used the
wood for shingles and shakes because it was easy to split. Because it transplants
more easily than most oaks and is reasonably tolerant of urban conditions,
the single oak deserves to be planted more widely in southern Iowa.
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