Sand Live Oak

Quercus geminata

Size: 3, 7, 15 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max Size: 30′ tall x 15′ wide
Average Size: 20′ tall x 10′ wide

Sand
Full Sun, Part Shade
Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Tolerant of Low Amounts of Salt Spray

This evergreen tree has inconspicuous blooms in the early spring. The acorns mature in autumn and are eaten by birds, wild turkeys, and deer. When the plant is young, prune it to encourage a single trunk and a wide canopy. After that is established, it only needs to be trimmed every few years or so, unless there is dead or diseased wood that needs to be removed. It is hurricane wind-resistant. It is a larval host plant for oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius), Horace’s duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies. It is a possible larval host for Juvenal’s duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis).

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.