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Tree and Shrub Gallery

White Oak Group - Evergreen - Beech Family

Trees on this page

Southern Live Oak (Live Oak) Quercus virginiana

Texas Live Oak (Plateau Live Oak, Scrub Live Oak) Quercus fusiformis (Quercus virginiana var. fusiformis)

Sandpaper Oak Quercus pungens

Vasey Shin Oak (Vasey Oak) Quercus vaseyana (Quercus pungens var. vaseyana)

Mohr Shin Oak Quercus mohriana

Hybrids on this page

Harbison Oak Quercus X harbisonii [virginiana X stellata]

Burnet's Oak Quercus X burnetensis [virginiana X macrocarpa]

Fagaceae - Beech family

Southern Live Oak (Live Oak) Quercus virginiana

(Native of Texas, Taylor)

Group: White Oak

Tree: Evergreen / simi-evergreen.  Produces thickets by rhizomes.  40-60 feet tall.  Massive limbs that grow low on the trunk.

Bark: Dark brownish-black with interlacing furrows.

Twigs: Yellow to light gray.

Leaf: 2"-5" long.  Thick, oblong to obovate, margin is entire (or with 1-3 teeth on the sides) with a rounded apex.  Green and shinny above, lighter and downy below.

Look-a-likes: Q. fusiformis and Q. mohriana.

Buds: Reddish or dark brown, ovate

Flower: Male flowers are 1"-3" long, yellow, hairy catkins.  Female flowers are red, tiny at ends of 1"-3" long peduncles.

Acorn: 1/2" long, barrel-shaped, apex rounded or blunt, shinny, brownish-black.

Cup: Cluster of 1-5 on a 1/4"-1" long peduncle.  Goblet-shape.  Covers about half of the nut.  Scales are gray with a red tip, keeled. 

Notes: Once used in wooden ships so groves were considered a strategic resorce of the USA.

In each of the live oak group (Q. virginiana, Q. minima, Q. geminata, Q. fusiformis) seedlings form swollen hypocotyls that may develop into large, starchy, underground tubers.  The tubers were once, sliced, and fried like potatoes.

Possible Hybrids

Harbison Oak Quercus X harbisonii [virginiana X stellata]

Burnet's Oak Quercus X burnetensis [virginiana X macrocarpa]

Tree Close-ups

Tree A: Quercus virginiana Evergreen and leathery, most leaves are oblong with an entire margin and pointed apex, 1"-2" long.  Did not get acorn photos.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2005

Tree B: Quercus virginiana Evergreen and leathery, most leaves are oblong to elliptic with an entire margin and pointed apex, prominent secondary veins, 1"-2" long.  The acorns are rich reddish-brown, no lines, 1" long.  Cup is goblet shaped, smooth inside, with a peduncle.  Cup covers less than 1/4 of nut.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2005

Tree C: Quercus virginiana.  Evergreen and leathery, most leaves are oblong with an entire margin and pointed apex, 1"-2" long.  Occasionally a leaf will have a wide tooth or shallow lobe.  The acorns are rich reddish-brown with an occasional light line, 1" long.  Cup is goblet shaped, smooth inside, with a peduncle.  Cup covers less than 1/4 of nut.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2005

Tree D: Quercus virginiana or a hybrid. Evergreen and leathery, most leaves are oblong with an entire margin and pointed apex, 1"-2" long.  A few leaves are nearly round, with entire margin and rounded apex, 1"-1 1/2" long.  The acorns are rich reddish-brown with only a few dark lines, 1" long.  Cup is goblet shaped, smooth inside, with a peduncle.  Cup covers less than 1/4 of nut.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2005

Fagaceae - Beech family

Texas Live Oak (Plateau Live Oak, Scrub Live Oak) Quercus fusiformis (Quercus virginiana var. fusiformis)

(Native of Texas, Taylor)

Group: White Oak

Tree: Evergreen / simi-evergreen.  10-40 feet tall.  Often forms large stands from rhizomes.  Smaller diameter trunk and more erect branching than Quercus virginiana.

Bark: Bark is dark brownish-black with interlacing furrows.

Twigs: Light gray, somewhat hairy.

Leaf: 1"-3" long.  Similar to Quercus virginiana.  Thick, oblong to ovate, margin is entire with occasional points and lobes.  It has an acute apex.  Green and shinny above, lighter and downy below.

Look-a-likes: Q. virginiana and Q. mohriana.

Buds: Red to dark brown, ovate.

Flower: Male flowers are 1"-3" long, yellow, hairy catkins.  Female flowers are red, tiny at ends of 1"-3" long peduncles.

Acorn: Under 1/2" long, elongated, shinny, brownish-black with light brown stripes.  Larger than Quercus virginiana with a more pointed apex.

Cup: Cluster of 3-5 on a long peduncle.  Cup is goblet to funnel shaped, covers about 1/2 of the nut.  White to gray with reddish tips, keeled.

Notes: Drought and cold tolerant.  Likes dryer conditions than Quercus virginiana.

Tree Close-ups

Tree A: Quercus fusiformis or a hybrid.  Evergreen and leathery.  Leaves are oblong, 1"-2" long.  Leaf margins have occasional wide teeth or small lobes.   Leaves have rounded apex and base.  The acorns are light brown with dark lines, 3/4" long.  Cup is a shallow goblet shaped, smooth inside, with no peduncle.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2004

Tree B: Quercus fusiformis or a hybrid.  Evergreen and leathery.  Leaves are oblong, 1"-2" long.  Leaf margins have occasional coarse teeth.   Leaves have rounded apex and base.  The acorns are light brown with dark lines, 3/4" long.  Cup is a shallow goblet shaped, smooth inside, with no peduncle.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2004

Tree C: Quercus fusiformis or a hybrid with Quercus pungens.  Evergreen and leathery.  All are oblong, 1"-2" long.  Leaf margins, on the same branch, can be entire or have sharp teeth, flat or lumpy.   Leaves have rounded apex and base.  Those with teeth have white dots (hairs?) on the top surface.  The acorns are dark brown with dark lines, 3/4" long.  Cup is a shallow goblet shaped, smooth inside, with no peduncle.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2004

Fagaceae - Beech family

Sandpaper Oak Quercus pungens

(Native of Texas, Taylor)

Group: White Oak

Tree: Evergreen / semi-evergreen.  Up to 20 feet tall.

Bark: Light brown, papery.

Twigs: Gray, velvety when young.

Leaf: 1 1/2" long (sometimes to 3 1/2" long).  Leathery, coarsely toothed.  Top of leaf is yellow-green, shiny and rough like sandpaper because of stiff hairs.  Lower surface is hairy.  Veins are prominent, spine tipped.

Look-a-like: Q. vaseyana.

Buds: Dark red-brown, some hair.

Flower: Male flowers are 1 1/2" long, catkins.  Female flowers are tiny at ends of stems.

Acorn: Under 1/2" long, short and round.  Light brown, shiny.

Cup: Deep cup, reddish brown, keeled scales, gray hairs.  Covers 1/4 of the nut.  Very short peduncle.

Notes: Drought tolerant.

Tree Close-ups

Tree A: Possibly Quercus pungens.  Leathery leaf with sharp lobes with vein points (holly like), light green turning dark green, rough surface.  Twig is velvety.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, September 2004

Tree B: Possibly Quercus pungens.  Leathery leaf with sharp lobes with vein points (holly like), rough surface.  Twig is velvety.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, September 2004

Similar Species

Fagaceae - Beech family

Vasey Shin Oak (Vasey Oak) Quercus vaseyana (Quercus pungens var. vaseyana)

(Native of Texas)

Group: White Oak

Tree: Evergreen / semi-evergreen.  1-5 feet tall, rarely a tree to 30 feet tall.  Forms thickets.

Bark: Dark brown, furrows that exfoliate in long strips.

Twigs: Reddish or grayish brown.  Young twigs hairy, older ones less so.

Leaf: 3/4"-2 1/2" long, lanceolate to oblong.  Leathery.  Coarsely toothed with an acute apex.  Veins are prominent and tipped at teeth.  Smooth, bright glossy green or can be grayish.  Underside is hairy.

Look-a-like: Q.pungens.

Buds: Dark red-brown or gray, round.

Flower: Male flowers are 1" long, catkins.  Female flowers are red, tiny at leaf nodes.

Acorn: 1/2"-3/4" long.  Shinny, light brown, oblong to cylindrical, flattened top.

Cup: Grows at leaf nodes.  Shallow bowl.  Reddish.  Covers up to 1/3 of the nut.  Inside is hairy.  Solitary or in pairs with almost no peduncle.

Notes: Drought tolerant.

Other Species in my area

Fagaceae - Beech family

Mohr Shin Oak Quercus mohriana

(Native of Texas, Taylor)

Group: White Oak

Tree: Evergreen / simi-evergreen.  6-20 feet tall but usually under 10 feet.  Thickets grow from rhizomes.

Bark: pale rough and deeply furrowed.

Twigs: Yellow-white and felty.

Leaf: Leaves variable.  3/4"-4" long, leathery, oblong or elliptic, entire or toothed, flat or undulate.  Apex rounded or acute.  Shiny dark green above and hairy below.  Secondary veins are prominent on both sides.

Look-a-likes: Q. virginiana and Q. fusiformis.

Buds: Dark red-brown, round, not hairy.

Flower: Male flowers are 1 1/2" long, red catkins.  Female flowers are tiny at ends of stems.

Acorn: 5/8" long, ovoid to oblong.  Light brown and lustrous.

Cup: Deep cup that covers 1/2 or more of the nut.  1-2 on a felty peduncle 1/4"-3/4" long (sometimes no peduncle).  Reddish brown.

Notes:

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