Quercus laevis
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Turkey Oak
Fagaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Tree | |
| Size: | 30-40 ft tall by 10-15 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | NA | |
| Phenology: | Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Acorns ripe the second fall. Red fall color. Life span - 100+ years. | |
| Noted for: | Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen or shade tree. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Considerations: | Difficult to transplant once it has formed its tap root. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed. Small containerized plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Slightly acidic to calcareous | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Used by woodpeckers and wild turkey Valued by squirrels and other mammals including white tailed deer Used by birds for resting and nesting | |
| Insects: | Larval host plant forHorace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies) | |
| Native Habitats: | Sandhill, scrub, scrubby sandhill. Increases in sandhill where long leaf pines were removed and where burns are restricted to winter. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| General Comments: | This is one of the few Florida oaks that looks like an oak to most people from the eastern US north of Florida. Tends to be smaller toward the southern end of its range. |