
Click on image for full screen view.
Form
Freeze damage
Foliage
| Live Oak, Southern Live Oak , Coast Live Oak, Virginia Live Oak, Encino
Quercus virginiana
Fagaceae (white oak group)
Live oak is majestic and long-lived, with a crown that can spread up to twice its height. It is pH adaptable, and tolerant of drought and poor soils, although it does not tolerate poorly drained soils or extremely well-drained deep sand. Its small, leathery gray-green leaves are evergreen except when it reaches the northern part of its range (zone 7a), when it becomes semi-evergreen. Its primary liability is its susceptibility to the oak wilt fungus, although it hasn't hit Q. virginiana as severely as Escarpment Live Oak, Q. fusiformis. It is also somewhat cold sensitive in the northern parts of the state.
Plant Habit or Use: medium tree
large tree
Exposure: sun
Flower Color: yellow catkins, 1-3 in. long
Blooming Period: spring
Fruit Characteristics: acorns, 1 in. long
Height: 40 to 50 ft.
Width: 80 to 100 ft.
Plant Character: evergreen
semievergreen
Heat Tolerance: very high
Water Requirements: medium
low
Soil Requirements: adaptable
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7
Additional Comments:
|