FNPS Plant Database

Quercus phellos

willow oak

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

willow oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus phellos

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

60(40) -75 ft tall by 40-50 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. The root system is fibrous making it suitable for situations where the roots may get somewhat abused such as street plantings and parking lot islands.

Considerations:

Fallen/falling acorns may be an issue.

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Somewhat 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:

Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

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



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

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

Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, songbirds, ducks, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, quail and black bears





Provides cover and nesting areas for birds and squirrels

Native Habitats:

Floodplains, hardwood swamp borders.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The range of this tree barely makes it into north Florida. It is much more common in the remainder of the southeast.

Citations:

North Carolina Extension Service for information on the root system, wildlife usage and salinity tolerance (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/quercus-phellos/)



https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-031/430-031_pdf.pdf (salt spray tolerance) http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/QUEPHEA.pdf (salt spray tolerance)



Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999.   Florida butterfly gardening.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville.



University of Tennessee Extension Service.  Desired Ph Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants.    https://extension.tennessee.edu/mtnpi/Documents/handouts/Fertility/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf   accessed 2021.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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