• Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Quercus nigra

water oak

Nomenclature

Common Name:

water oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus nigra

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

50-80 ft tall by 20-50 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms early spring (inconspicuous). Fruits ripen the second fall. Life span 70-100 years.

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. Semi-evergreen with leaves falling just before new leaves emerge.

Considerations:

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Availability:

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Propagation:

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Light:

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Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Short very dry periods

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, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

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

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host plant for Horace's dusky wing ( Erynnis horactius ), red-banded hairstreak ( Calycopis cecrops ) and white-M hairstreak ( Parrhasius m-album ) butterflies

Provides cover for and nesting areas for birds and squirrels





The acorns are used by squirrels, turkeys, and deer



.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains, seep slopes, mesic secondary woods. May invade flatwoods if there is fire exclusion.

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The wood is weak.