is a laurel oak a water oak

What is laurel oak?

Laurel oak has been widely planted in the South as an ornamental, perhaps because of the attractive leaves from which it takes its common name. Large crops of laurel oak acorns are produced regularly and are an important food for white-tailed deer, raccoons, squirrels, wild turkeys, ducks, quail, and smaller birds and rodents (4).

Are laurel oak trees cold hardy?

The laurel oak is probably one of the most cold-hardy evergreen oaks. Trees growing in Cincinnati indicate the laurel oak may be hardy even further north than previously thought tolerating temperatures lower than −29 °C (−20 °F) and surviving into zone 5.

What is a water oak tree?

The water oak has been used as a source of timber and fuel by people in the southern states since the 1600s. Many homes were built with and heated by giant water oaks that sprouted hundreds of years before Columbus. The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization.

What is the difference between water oak and live oak?

Water oaks, on the other hand, tend to grow in a conical form being much taller than it is wide. Live oaks have evergreen leaves that are oblong and up to 5” long.

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What is the difference between a laurel oak and a water oak?

The water oak has greyer, smoother bark than the laurel oak but its leaves are wider at the tip than at the base and are described as “spatula-shaped.” And as one would expect, neither species fares as well in a hurricane as a live oak.

How can you tell a live oak from a water oak?

The water oak has a classic oak leaf shape, with leaves 2 to 4 inches long with three lobes at the tips. The live oak has oblong or oval leaves that may be as long as 5 inches.

What type of oak is a water oak?

Quercus nigraQuercus nigra, the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group (Quercus sect. Lobatae), native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kentucky, and southern Missouri.

What is the difference between a water oak and a willow oak?

Water oak prefers sites slightly better-drained than willow oak, and is also found on a wider range of sites, sometimes occurring on mesic uplands; willow oak is rare on uplands, only occurring locally on poorly-drained sites.

What does water oak look like?

Water oak grows up to about 25 metres (82 feet) tall. Its glossy blue-green leaves vary in shape and size but are usually spoon-shaped or oblong, slightly lobed at the apex. They turn yellow in autumn and can persist into winter. The abundant small acorns are set in shallow scaly or hairy cups.

What is the life expectancy of a laurel oak?

50 to 60 yearsThe water oak (Quercus nigra​), native to the southeastern United States, lives for only 30 to 50 years and the laurel oak (Q. laurifolia), also native to the Southeast, lives 50 to 60 years. In contrast. southern live oaks (​Q. virginiana) ​can live more than 200 years. Some very long-lived specimens are known.

Why is a water oak called a water oak?

A North American native, Water Oak is adapted to wet, swampy areas, such as along ponds and stream banks, but can also tolerate other well-drained sites and even heavy, compacted soils.

Is water oak A good tree?

It has the capacity to thrive in compact or loose soil, provided there is adequate moisture. Water oaks may be short lived but their rapid growth makes them an excellent shade tree for decades.

Is a water oak in the white oak family?

Water oak is associated with the following tree species: willow oak (Quercus phellos), laurel oak (Q. laurifolia), Nuttall oak (Q. nuttallii), cherrybark oak (Q. falcata), white oak (Q.

Is water oak red or white?

Color/Appearance: Has a light to medium reddish-brown color, though there can be a fair amount of variation in color. Conversely, White Oak tends to be slightly more olive-colored, but is by no means a reliable method of determining the type of oak.

Is a water oak and pin oak the same thing?

Pin oak and water oak are not the same tree. Water oak makes fine boards, especially if stem diameter is between 2 and 3 feet. Once they get over 3 feet in diameter, they are usually rotten inside.

What do laurel oak leaves look like?

Plant Characteristics Leaf: Leaves shiny green upper surface and pale green below with a yellow midrib. Fruit: Acorns biennial; nearly sessile, saucer-like cup with pubescent scales and pubescent inner surface, enclosing up to 1⁄4 of nut; nearly round dark brown nut, 5⁄8 inch (16 mm) in length.

What is a laurel oak?

Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia) is also called Darlington oak, diamond-leaf oak, swamp laurel oak, laurel-leaf oak, water oak, and obtusa oak. There has been a long history of disagreement concerning the identity of this oak (11). It centers on the variation in leaf shapes and differences in growing sites (5), ...

Where is the laurel oak native to?

Laurel oak is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida and westward to southeastern Texas with some island populations found north of its contiguous natural range. The best formed and largest number of laurel oaks are found in north Florida and in Georgia.

What is the difference between laurel oak and diamond oak?

Laurel oak is a major species in the forest cover type Willow Oak-Water Oak-Diamond-leaf (Laurel) Oak (Society of American Foresters Type 88) (5). Diamond-leaf oak makes up most of the stand in this type where drainage is poor, sometimes forming almost pure stands, while laurel oak grows on the better drained sites such as sandy banks of streams .

How much rain does a laurel oak tree get?

Rainfall averages between 1250 and 1500 mm (49 to 59 in) a year over the natural range of laurel oak. From 500 to 1000 mm (20 to 39 in) of this is received during the growing season from April to September, except during occasional years when there is a summer or fall drought lasting 1 to 3 months.

Do acorns sink or float?

Most sound acorns sink but some float and are carried a long distance (14,15). Seedling Development- Acorns of trees in the black oak group, to which laurel oak belongs, show embryo dormancy and germinate the following spring after fall ripening. Germination is hypogeal (15).

Is fire bad for laurel oaks?

Damaging Agents- Fire is especially hazardous to laurel oaks. They are frequently killed by even light ground fires and heartrots are common in trees subject to occasional burns (14). Laurel oak is host to the general oak-feeding insects but no serious insect problem is mentioned in the literature.

Is a laurel oak a short lived tree?

obtusa). Here they are treated synonymously. Laurel oak is a rapid-growing short-lived tree of the moist woods of the southeastern Coastal Plain.

What is the average temperature of swamp laurel oak?

Swamp laurel oak grows best on ultisols and inceptisols . The range has average annual temperatures from 16 to 21 °C (61 to 70 °F). It can withstand extreme lows ranging from −1 to −28 °C (30 to −18 °F). Extreme highs range from 38 to 43 °C (100 to 109 °F).

How long does it take for swamp laurel oak to mature?

Swamp laurel oak grows rapidly and usually matures in about 50 years which has led to its wide use as an ornamental. It is host to the general oak-feeding insects but has no serious insect problems. Several species of Curculio weevils infest the acorns.

How tall is a Quercus laurifolia tree?

Quercus laurifolia is a tree growing to 65–80 feet (20–24 meters) (rarely to 130 feet (40 meters)) tall, with a large, circular crown.

Where is the Quercus laurifolia native to?

Lobatae. It is native to the southeastern and south-central the United States, from coastal Virginia to central Florida and west to southeast Texas.

What is acorn tree?

It is grown and marketed mainly as pulpwood. It is commonly used as an ornamental tree in landscaping because of its fast growth and pleasing appearance ; it is planted with little regard to soil type . The acorns provide food for raccoons, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, ducks, bobwhite quail, and small birds and rodents .

Is a laurel oak tree cold hardy?

The laurel oak is probably one of the most cold-hardy evergreen oaks . Trees growing in Cincinnati indicate the laurel oak may be hardy even further north than previously thought tolerating temperatures lower than −29 °C (−20 °F) and surviving into zone 5.

What is a Laurel Oak tree?

Quercus laurifolia (Laurel Oak) is a large, stately , semi-evergreen tree adorned with a dense, oval-rounded canopy. The trunk can reach 3-4 ft. (90-120 cm) in diameter and flares out at the base with age. Its gray bark is moderately deeply furrowed. The leathery, oval leaves, 2-4 in. long (5-10 cm), are green and glossy on top, somewhat paler and smooth underneath. They persist throughout the fall and most of the winter in warm coastal climates and are deciduous in cooler areas. Inconspicuous yellow-green catkins appear in spring. The oval acorns take two years to mature. They are a valuable source of food for small mammals and birds. Acorn production begins when the tree is 15 to 20 years old. Native to the southeastern United States, Laurel Oak occurs naturally in floodplains forests, on river banks, in swamps, and in upland depression wetlands, usually on sites with clay soils. Laurel Oak has been widely planted in the South as an ornamental, perhaps because of the attractive leaves from which it takes its common name. It is often used as a shade or street tree. It grows fairly rapidly and is not fussy about soils. It is however relatively short lived (75-100 years), and often becomes hollow with age.

What is the best oak to grow?

Laurel Oak, Swamp Laurel Oak, Darlington Oak, Diamond-leaf Oak, Laurel-leaf Oak, Water Oak, Obtusa Oak, Quercus obtusa, Quercus phellos var. laurifolia, Quercus succulenta 1 Grows up to 40-60 ft. tall and wide (12-18 m). 2 Performs best in full sun in rich, humusy, acidic, medium to wet, well-drained soils. Tolerates a wide range of soils, including clay soils . 3 Perfect as a specimen plant. 4 Keep an eye out for oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots, powdery mildew, scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils. 5 Propagate by seed (no treatment). Best quality acorns are picked or shaken from the tree. 6 Native to the southeastern United States from coastal Virginia to central Florida and west to southeast Texas.

Is Laurel Oak a shade tree?

Laurel Oak has been widely planted in the South as an ornamental, perhaps because of the attractive leaves from which it takes its common name. It is often used as a shade or street tree. It grows fairly rapidly and is not fussy about soils.

What is the difference between a live oak and a water oak?

The live oak has one-inch long, oblong shaped acorns that have a scaly cap. This scaly cap often sticks to the branch of the tree with only the acorn dropping to the ground. The water oak has a small round acorn about a half an inch in diameter with a wooly cap that falls attached to the acorn. Root Systems.

How big do live oak trees get?

Live oaks grow upwards of eighty (80) feet tall but can grow as wide as one-hundred (100) feet wide, earning it a reputation as a formidable landscape shade tree. Water oaks, on the other hand, tend to grow in a conical form being much taller than it is wide. Leaves.

How long do live oak leaves last?

Live oaks have evergreen leaves that are oblong and up to 5” long. The live oak keeps its leaves until they die, at which time they fall off. The water oak, however, has a typical oak leaf that presents with 3 lobes at the tip and grow between two (2) to four (4) inches long.

Do water oaks have shallow roots?

Water oaks also have shallow root systems that compete for nutrients and water in the soil making it a problem to maintain grass and other close proximity plants. Water oaks have a weak wood in comparison to its live oak counterpart.

Is a live oak tree a good foundation for other trees?

The live oak root system is widespread and shallow requiring good drainage and plenty of oxygen. These root systems are shared between other trees making them a formidable foundation for other live oaks, but structures are often in danger if too close to these systems.

How long does a laurel oak live?

Healthy laurel oaks live from 50 to 150 years, but live oaks live more than 150 years.

How to keep a laurel oak tree from breaking?

To prevent their brittle wood from breaking, laurel oak branches should be pruned to keep their diameter to less than half of the width of the trunk. In dry conditions, laurel oaks grow more slowly, but with stronger wood that's less apt to break.

What is a live oak tree?

Live oaks have majestic, sprawling canopies. There are many types of oak trees that grace landscapes with their impressive height and value as shade trees. Live oak ( Querus virginiana) a large, sprawling shade tree found widely in the American Southeast, is a long-living shade tree often found along urban streets.

When do oak acorns mature?

They vary slightly, however, in when the acorns are produced. Live oak's acorns mature in summer or fall , and laurel oak's acorns mature in fall or winter. Advertisement. references. Missouri Botanical Garden: Quercus virginiana.

Can live oaks tolerate clay?

Both species also tolerate wet soil, although live oaks can handle wet soil for extended periods of time and laurel oaks tolerate only occasional wet soil.

Is a laurel oak a shade tree?

Laurel oak ( Quercus laurifolia) also native to the Southeast, is a slightly smaller shade tree with shorter longevity. Although both of these trees are species in the same plant genus, they have some differences in appearance as well as cultural preferences. Advertisement.

Can live oaks be mowed?

Potential Oak Problems. The roots of live oaks can interfere with mowing and lift sidewalks. The surface roots of laurel oaks typically pose no problem to sidewalks or building foundations. Although laurel oaks grow to 50 to 70 years, decay and wood rot begin hollowing their trunks and large branches in roughly 50 years.

What is water oak?

Water Oak. Quercus nigra. A North American native, Water Oak is adapted to wet, swampy areas, such as along ponds and stream banks, but can also tolerate other well-drained sites and even heavy, compacted soils.

What type of soil does a water oak tree like?

Soil Preference. The water oak grows in acidic, loamy, sandy, well-drained, wet and clay soils. It tolerates wet sites but does best in well-drained areas that do not experience severe drought.

When was water oak used?

The water oak has been used as a source of timber and fuel by people in the southern states since the 1600s. Many homes were built with and heated by giant water oaks that sprouted hundreds of years before Columbus.

What animals eat water oak acorns?

Water oak acorns are at the top of the food preference list for white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons, pigs, wild turkeys, mallards, wood ducks and quail. In wintertime, deer will browse the buds and young twigs.

Overview

• Native Range
  Laurel oak is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida and westward to southeastern Texas with some island populations found north of its contiguous natural range. The best formed and largest number of laurel oaks are found in north …
• Climate
  Rainfall averages between 1250 and 1500 mm (49 to 59 in) a year over the natural range of laurel oak. From 500 to 1000 mm (20 to 39 in) of this is received during the growing season from April to September, except during occasional years when there is a summer or fall drought lasting 1 t…

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Description

Taxonomy

Distribution and habitat

Ecology

Uses

External links