Quercus laurifolia

laurel oak, swamp laurel oak

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

60-100 ft tall by 40--80 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms early spring (wind pollinated, inconspicuous flowers). Acorns ripen in 2nd fall.

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Often grown as a specimen tree, fast growing.

Considerations:

Somewhat weak, and compared to live oak, short-lived.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Stays wet ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam, Organic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for Horace’s Duskywing ( Erynnis horatius ) and White M Hairstreak ( Parrhasius m-album ).





Larval host for several moth species (some of the caterpillars are not appreciated)

Produces acorns that are used by rodents, including squirrels, and other mammals





Acorns used by woodpeckers, jays, and wild turkeys.





High in tannins.





Used for cover and nesting by a variety of bird species

Native Habitats:

River floodplains, secondary woods.