Live Oak

Quercus virginiana

Size: 3, 5, 7, & 15 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max size: 80’ tall x 100’ wide
Average size: 50′ tall x 60′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Tolerant of moderate levels of salt spray and occasional inundation with salt water

AKA: Scrub Oak, Plateau Oak, Bay Live Oak

This Southern classic is evergreen and has inconspicuous spring blooms. Its acorns that are ready in the fall are edible if processed correctly. It is a slow-growing shade tree that grows low and wide and is hurricane wind-resistant. It is a good host for an epiphyte. The pollen attracts hummingbirds, and it is a nesting habitat for many birds and squirrels. It is a larval host plant for Horace’s duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies. It is also a possible larval host for Juvenal’s duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) and oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius) butterflies.

The bark of the oak can be used to make dyes and paints. The barks and galls have also long been used to create a permanent ink. Oak medicines are incredibly varied; they contain tannin, which has been shown to be antiviral, antiseptic, and antitumor; various Indigenous practices worldwide have ascribed medicinal uses to various parts of the tree. It was one of the most prized American trees; it was highly sought after by early colonizers for ship making, construction, and flooring, and is still considered the best quality available.