Habitat

• native to the eastern coast of the United States from New York down through Florida and across to Texas
• zone 6, possibly warmer parts of 5

Habit and Form

• a medium-sized, deciduous tree
• 50 to 70' tall
• 30' to 50' wide
• pyramidal when young
• rounded, broad-rounded or upright rounded when mature
• fine texture
• rapid growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• entire leaf margins
• lanceolate leaf shape
• 2" to 5" long
• bristle-tipped leaf apex
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow to bronzy-red fall color
• showy
• color develops late
• color is long lasting

Flowers

• monoecious
• male flowers are pendulous yellow-brown catkins
• blooms in May
• messy

Fruit

• acorn in pairs on singly
• 0.5" across or less
• pubescent
• bowl-like cap is striated with brown and black bands
• acorns mature in a second season
• fruit can be numerous
• attracts squirrels

Bark

• gray-brown bark color
• shallow ridges and furrows
• slender, smooth, reddish brown stems

Culture

• easily transplanted during dormant season
• prefers moist, well-drained soil
• full sun
• drought tolerant
• urban tolerant

Landscape Use

• parking lot island
• street tree
• buffer strip
• shade tree
• for large area

Liabilities

• no serious pest problems
• root rot
• borers and trunk canker
• orange-striped oakworm

ID Features

• sharp-pointed, ovoid, imbricate buds
• buds are chestnut brown and 0.25" long
• alternate leaf arrangement
• leaves are not lobed and have entire leaf margins
• bristle-tipped leaf apex
• willow-like leaves
• small acorns

Propagation

• by seed
• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Pillow Oak' - A purported hybrid with Quercus palustris, this seedling selection features intermediate leaf shape and rapid growth. It was discovered as a cultivated plant by a South Carolina nurseryman.