FNPS Plant Database

Quercus pagoda

cherrybark oak
  • Photo by: Bruce Kirchoff from Wikipedia Commons, cropped

Nomenclature

Common Name:

cherrybark oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus pagoda

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

60 - 90 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. This is a large oak.

Considerations:

Fallen/falling acorns can be a maintenance issue.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

□□□□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

Usually moist, occasional inundation -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

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

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

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
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

Host plant for the banded hairstreak, Edwards' hairstreak, gray hairstreak, white-M hairstreak Horace's duskywing and the Juvenal's duskywing butterflies.





Other insect feeders include leafhoppers, aphids, treehoppers, lace bugs, plant bugs, leaf beetles, weevils, long-horned beetles, gall wasps, walkingsticks, and moth caterpillars



  • Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, blue jays, ducks, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and black bear


  • Provides cover to birds and squirrels for resting and nesting




.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains of large rivers, predominantly the greater Apalachicola River system.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Considered to be a valuable timber tree.

General Comments:

The range map for this species suggests that it might occur in the ApalachicolaRiver floodplains even where it had not been documented.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Hilty, John. (2002-2018). Trees, Shrubs, & Woody Vines of Illinois: Cherrybark Oak. ( https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/cherrybark_oak.html. Accessed 2026.


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (2025). Plant Database: Quercus pagoda (Cherrybark oak). ( https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUPA5 ). Accessed 2026. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.


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.


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.

Request an update