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Quercus taxonomy
Quercus virginiana Mill.
EOL Text
Quercus virginiana is one of the commonest and best known species in the coastal region of the southeastern United States. In the past, it was widely used for structural pieces in the manufacture of wooden ships, and large groves were actually considered a strategic resource by the federal government. Historically oil pressed from the acorns was utilized. Like other members of the live oak group ( Q . minima , Q . geminata , and Q . fusiformis ), Q . virginiana seedlings form swollen hypocotyls that may develop into large, starchy, underground tubers. In the past, the tubers were gathered, sliced, and fried like potatoes for human consumption. The tendency for the tree members of this group to produce rhizomatous growth and clonal shrubs in juvenile stages, and in response to damage, fire, and poor soil conditions, has led to considerable confusion in delimiting the species. This is exacerbated by considerable plasticity in leaf form. When evaluating specimens an effort should be made to sample broadly within a population. The tuberous condition mentioned above suggests that live oaks have different phases in their life history that may persist depending on the environmental conditions. This is not uncommon in other woody plants that occur in seasonally dry, fire-prone habitats of the southeastern United States.
The Houma used Quercus virginiana medicinally for healing dysentery (D. E. Moerman 1986).
Putative hybrids between Quercus virginiana and Q . minima are known, but care should be taken to avoid assigning hybrid status to clonal phases of Q . virginiana solely on the basis of habit. Hybrids with Q . fusiformis and Q . geminata are discussed under those species. Occasional putative hybrids with Q . stellata are also found, and those tend to be semi-evergreen with shallowly lobed leaves.
Some named putative hybrids are: Q . × burnetensis Little (= Q . macrocarpa × Q . virginiana ); Q . × comptonae Sargent (= Q . lyrata × Q . virginiana ); and the artificially produced hybrid, Q . × nessiana E. J. Palmer (= Q . bicolor × Q . virginiana ).
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Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501097 |
General: This native tree can grow to an average of 50 feet tall and 36-48 inches in diameter, but can have trunks over 70 inches in diameter. The bark is furrowed longitudinally, and the small acorns are long and tapered. The bark and twigs are dark to light grayish color and becomes darker with age. The leaves are thick, shiny, and dark green on top, lighter below. Small flowers are produced when new leaves are grown. The fruit, which is an acorn, has a 1 inch long cup, somewhat narrowed at the base. Root crowns and roots survive fire and sprout vigorously.
Distribution: Live oak is most commonly found on the lower Coastal Plain of southeastern United States.
For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.
More info for the term: tree
Southern live oak is a shrubby to large and spreading, long-lived, nearly
evergreen tree. It drops its leaves and grows new leaves within several
weeks in the spring. Open-grown trees average 50 feet (15 m) in height
and 36 to 48 inches (91-122 cm) in d.b.h., but can have trunks up to 79
inches (200 cm) in d.b.h. The rounded crowns may span 150 feet (46 m)
or more [20,21]. Lower limbs sweep to the ground and then curve upward.
Southern live oak growing at an angle of up to 45 degrees can still support a
great mass of limbs. The bark is furrowed longitudinally, and the small
acorns are long and tapered. Trees usually have rounded clumps of ball
moss or thick drapings of Spanish moss [19,21].
Live oak provides cover and shade for a wide variety of coastal species of birds and mammals. Acorns of live oak are an important food source for the Florida scrub jay, mallards, sapsuckers, wild turkey, black bear, squirrels and white-tail deer. Scrub jays, a threatened species, nest in live oak (Woolfenden 1973).Epiphytes of live oak include mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.), ball moss and Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). Spanish moss can be especially populous in live oak (Haller 1992).
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Source | http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Quercu_virginic.htm |
Flowering late winter-early spring.
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Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501097 |
Once established, live oak withstands competition. It is extremely salt tolerant and this resistance may account for its dominance in many climax coastal forests in the northern part of its range. Dense stands of live oak reduce forage production for livestock. Live oak is extremely hard to kill because it sprouts vigorously from the root collar and roots.
Trees, sometimes shrubs , subevergreen, trees to 35 m, shrubs sometimes rhizomatous. Bark dark brown or black, scaly. Twigs yellowish to light gray, 1-3 mm diam., minutely puberulent or stellate-pubescent, glabrate in 2d year. Buds reddish or dark brown, subglobose or ovate, 1-2 mm; scale margins glabrous or puberulent. Leaves: petiole 1-10(-20) mm. Leaf blade obovate to oblanceolate, sometimes orbiculate or lance-ovate, ± planar, (10-)35-90(-150) × (15-)20-40(-85) mm, base cuneate to rounded, rarely truncate or cordate, margins minutely revolute or flat, entire or irregularly 1-3-toothed on each side, teeth mucronate, secondary veins obscure, 6-9(-12) on each side, apex obtuse-rounded or acute; surfaces abaxially whitish or glaucous, densely covered with minute, appressed, fused-stellate hairs, light green and glabrate in shade leaves, adaxially dark or light green, glossy, glabrous or with minute, scattered, stellate hairs. Acorns 1-3, on peduncle (3-)10-20 mm; cup hemispheric or deeply goblet-shaped, 8-15 mm deep × 8-15 mm wide, base often constricted; scales whitish or grayish, proximally thickened, keeled, tomentulose, tips reddish, acute-attenuate, glabrous or puberulent; nut dark brown, barrel-shaped, ovoid, or obcylindric, 15-20(-25) × 8-15 mm, apex rounded or blunt, glabrous. Cotyledons connate.
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Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501097 |
The ant Temnothorax obturator has been found nesting in galls of live oaks in Texas.
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Rights holder/Author | David Lubertazzi, David Lubertazzi |
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Live oak sprouts abundantly from the root collar and roots. When tops are killed or when the tree is girdled, roots near the ground surface send up numerous sprouts. The capacity to sprout makes live oak difficult to kill by mechanical or chemical means.
Southern live oak is used for shade and as an ornamental [21]. Southern live oak is
considered "one of the noblest trees in the world and virtually an
emblem of the Old South" [19].
In the past, southern live oak was used for ship building [21]. Native Americans
produced an oil comparable to olive oil from southern live oak acorns [20]. It
is believed that Native Americans used southern live oaks as trail markers by
staking saplings down, causing them to grow at extreme angles [19].