FNPS Plant Database

Quercus virginiana

live oak
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ken Gholston

Nomenclature

Common Name:

live oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus virginiana

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

40–80 ft tall by 40–100 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Evergreen. Inconspicuous blooms in spring, wind pollinated. Acorns ripening the same year in fall. Life span 300+ years

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Large specimen tree or shade tree.

Considerations:

Massive low hanging branches often droop to touch the ground--make sure you allow plenty of room for this tree. Can be somewhat messy especially if loaded with Spanish moss.

Availability:

Big Box Stores, Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed, but readily available as a potted or large tree-spaded plant.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

Usually moist, occasional inundation -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, Loam

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

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, Hummingbirds, Birds, Mammals

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

Acorns provide a good food source for many types of birds and mammals. Good nesting habitat for birds and squirrels. The acorns are low in tannins. Hummingbirds are attracted to and eat live oak pollen.

Native Habitats:

Tropical rockland hammock, pine rockland in fire-suppressed areas and near tropical rockland hammock, upper edges of floodplains, margins of ponds and lakes, levees and second bottoms, secondary woods, roadsides, mesic to dry mesic hammock

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This species is broadly planted. It is one of the few native trees that is widely available. Noted for its twisty form, tolerance of root damage, and longevity. The form of this tree varies enormously with light conditions. Open grown trees are sometimes shaped like inverted bowls and there is much horizontal growth. Shade grown trees tend to grow straight toward the best light source and can either be tall and straight, or if the light is nor directly above, be very twisty. Noted for being a good epiphyte host. Throughout much of its range its branches are hosts to many epiphytic plants, especially bromeliads (such as ball moss, Tillandsia recurvata and Spanish moss, T. Usneoides), ferns (such as resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides and orchids including butterfly orchid (Encyclia tampensis).
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Burns, Russell M, and Barbara H. Honkala [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 ). Accessed 2026.


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


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


Hammer, Roger. (2015). Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Watkins, John and Thomas Sheehan. (1975). Florida Landscape Plants, Native and Exotic. University Presses 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