FNPS Plant Database

Quercus chapmanii

Chapman's oak
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Chapman's oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus chapmanii

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

3–15 ft tall. , Has multiple stems forming thickets

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Acorns mature in one season

Noted For:

Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

This is a small clonal oak that can be used in a thicket as a screen.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed or by division of underground stems.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

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

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host plant for Horace's duskywing Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalois), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies; possible larval host fof oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius).

Valued by the Florida scrub-jay for its acorns which are relatively low in tanins Used by woodpeckers and wild turkey Valued by squirrels, racoons and other mammals including white tailed deer.

Native Habitats:

Scrub, dunes, scrubby flatwoods, scrubby high pine

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Chapman's oak [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Querchap ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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