Florida Forest Trees

Live oak  (Quercus virginiana)

Live oak is the southern symbol of strength. It is the state tree of Georgia. Lining the historic streets of small towns, the reclining branches create a canopy of speckled light.

Live oak is a large spreading tree of the lower Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida and to southern Texas. It normally grows in low sandy soils near the Coast but also occurs in moist rich woods and along stream banks.		  

Twigs and leaves


On the Gulf Coast, live oaks often support many types of epiphytic plants, including Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) which hangs in weeping garlands, giving the trees a striking appearance. Live oak is a fast-growing tree. Sweet edible acorns are usually produced in great abundance and are of value to many birds and mammals including wild turkeys, wood ducks, jays, quail, whitetail deer, raccoons, and squirrels.

The yellowish-brown wood is hard, heavy, tough, strong, and is used for structural beams, shipbuilding, posts, and in places requiring strength and durability. The trees have been historically planted in cities. When planting live oak, it should be restricted to large yards or parks where the spreading form can be accommodated.

Live oak ranks as one of the heaviest native hardwoods, weighing 55 pounds per cubic foot when air dry. This weight or density makes live oak a good fuel wood although it can be very difficult to split.

The national champion live oak was discovered in 1976 near Louisburg, Louisiana. It had a diameter of 11.65', height of 55', and crown spread of 132'. The Florida champion live oak, as given in the 1984 revised list, was found in Alachua County and measured 108" in diameter, 83' in height, and had a spread 150.5'.

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Live oak is a large tree that reaches heights of 65' to 85'. It has a wide spreading crown and is buttressed and flared at the base of the trunk.
Leaves:
 The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, and may persist on the tree through winter until they gradually fall as new leaves emerge in the spring. The leaves are 2" to 5" long by ½" to 2 ½" wide. The narrowly to broadly elliptical shaped leaves are usually stiff and leathery. The upper surface is shiny, dark green. The leaves are dull grayish green underneath. The leaf base is tapering and the tip is short pointed to rounded. The margin is smooth and slightly wavy.
Fruit:
 The acorns are ¾" to 1" long, broadest at the base to almost uniformly wide and rounded to pointed at the tip. Acorns are light brown within the cap that covers ¼ of the dark nut. The largest part of the acorn is dark brown to black and shiny. They occur solitary or in clusters of three to five nuts, and they mature in one season on the current year's branchlets.
Bark:
 The dark brown to reddish-brown bark is thick with shallow furrows and roughly ridged, eventually becoming blocky with age.
Habitat:
 Inhabiting a wide variety of sites, you can find live oak in almost pure stands, or scattered in mixed woodlands, hammocks, flatwoods, borders of salt marshes, roadsides, city lots, and commonly scattered in pastures. Live oak is found growing in association with several other hardwoods, including the water oak, laurel oak, sweetgum, southern magnolia, and American holly.

Photos
Click on thumbnails to see a larger image in a new window.
Close the new window to return to this page.
 


Bark

Leaves and twigs		  

Acorn		  

Live vs. Laurel oak


[Forest Trees]

[Forest Plants]

[Home]