FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Leaves narrower and less leathery than Q. virginiana (live oak) and wider than Q. phellos (willow oak). Leaves of seedlings may be 3-lobed and differ greatly from leaves of a mature tree.
Synonym(s): Quercus hemisphaerica, Quercus obtusa, Quercus phellos, Quercus succulenta
Description: Medium to large (to 30 m) semi-evergreen tree with leaves gradually dropping in late fall and winter.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly ovate or oblanceolate leaves, widest past the middle, often persisting through winter. Thick leaves have lustrous surface, 3 to 9 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide, entire margins and blunt apices with short bristle tips.
Flowers/Fruit: Catkins emerge in spring with leaves. Acorns faintly striped with shallow bowl-like cups enclosing one third of the acorn. Blooms March/April; acorns mature September to November of following year.
Habit and Range: Floodplain forests, stream banks, black and brownwater swamps, mostly in the Coastal Plain.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Quercus phellos (willow oak) has similar leaves to Q. laurifolia (laurel oak), but Q. phellos leaves are narrower and have bristles on the pointed tips. Q. hemisphaerica (Darlington oak) is a very similar tree, but is found in dry sandy Coastal Plain soils. Sometimes Q. hemisphaerica has leaves with pointed teeth.
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Link to side-by-side comparisons page
