Really tough to tell from just the acorns. Do you have a picture of the bark and/or leaf, even brown. How about the caps for the acorns?

Kirk

Hi Odie and the group, thanks for the offer to help. I just got two pictures from my brother. One of the bark and the other of the leaves.

{{gwi:1066217}}

{{gwi:1066219}}

Thanks, DC

DC, I can't quite tell from the photo if the leaves are toothed or entire - I seem to see some of each.

If they are smooth, then I might take a bet on it being a Shingle Oak.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shingle oak

I can't see the leaf edges 100% but it is probably Chestnut Oak. This is native, grows well in this area, and has the large acorns. Not sure how it would do in zone 9. The species grows down into parts of Alabama and Georgia, but whether or not a tree of NJ stock would do well down there is hard to say. Certainly worth a try!!

I am also thinking it is a Chestnut oak, Quercus prinus or sometimes known as Quercus montana. It is native to this area of New Jersey but is hardy from zones 4A to 8B. They prefer sandy dry soils and take well to neglect, but will not survive in poorly drained or clay soils. As Woodnative stated, worth a try. If you would like a full data sheet, drop me an email.
dreamstodesigns@comcast.net

Kirk

Do not Chestnut oaks have rather oblong acorns? The acorns in the photo provided appear to be round.

Hi NJTea and the group, When I first though of tying to ID this oak I did not know how hard it would be. I have spent some time looking at the different oaks and I believe you may be correct that the oak is young shingle oak. The leaves are a spot on match for the shingle and the fact they are still on the tree in late December also matches the shingle. From what I have pulled up on the internet the chestnut oak is suppose to drop all the leaves by late autumn; however, I heard from a local when I was still in NJ that you had a warm fall? Did not get real cold until early Dec? Could this delay the leaf drop on the chestnut oak?

The other match that points to the shingle is the round acorns. The Chestnut looks to have more oval acorns. How big do the acorn for the Shingle get?

I did find a good bark sample for the Shingle but it is from a much older and bigger tree. It is close but not spot on, maybe the age and size of the two trees makes the difference?

The two best links I have found so far are:

http://www.ohiodnr.com/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/oakshingle.htm

http://www.ohiodnr.com/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/oakchestnut.htm

Thanks for the help, DC

The presence of leaves so late in the season was one hint, to me, that it wasn't a chestnut oak as those on my property dropped their leaves long ago - although I am quite a bit further north than Cherry Hill.

Fall was strange - very warm in September, chilly and rainy in October, a bit warmer than average in November, then a very cold early December. Can't say if it had any impact on when the trees dropped their leaves.

The weather did impact leaf color. This fall, the woods where I live looked like they'd been gilded in gold. When the sun shone through the trees, the color was almost blinding. Even the forest floor was aglow. Although there was little color, fall was nevertheless spectacular.

Happy New Year!

I couldn't get the images to load for me, but from your description of the leaves and the large, rounded acorns, it sounds as if you're dealing with a Swamp Chestnut Oak/Basket Oak (Quercus michauxii). Since it's also native to the northern portions of Zone 9, it should do just fine. And they're good, fast growers, too.