? Southern live oak Conservation status: Secure
Southern live oak in winter in a pasture near Georgetown, South Carolina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fagales Family: Fagaceae Genus: Quercus Species: Q. virginiana
Binomial name
Quercus virginiana Mill.

Southern live oak is an evergreen or nearly evergreen oak tree, Quercus virginiana, native to the southeastern United States. A large number of other common names are used for this tree, including Virginia live oak, Bay live oak, Scrub live oak, Plateau oak, Plateau live oak, Escarpment live oak, and (in Spanish) Encino. It is also often just called 'Live oak' within its native area, but the full name 'Southern live oak' (Flora of North America) helps to distinguish it from other live oaks, a general term for any species of oak that is evergreen. Live Oak tree in a pasture Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 01:58, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Historic Front Street Georgetown is a city located in Georgetown County, South Carolina. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed typically contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families included in the Kew list: Fagaceae - Beech family   (including Nothofagaceae) Betulaceae - Birch family Corylaceae - Hazel family Ticodendraceae not included in the Kew list: Casuarinaceae - She-oak family Juglandaceae - Walnut family Rhoipteleaceae Myricaceae The Fagales are an order of flowering plants, including some of the best known trees. ... Genera Castanea - Chestnuts Castanopsis Chrysolepis - Golden chinkapin Colombobalanus Fagus - Beeches Formanodendron Lithocarpus - Stone oaks Nothofagus - Southern beeches Quercus - Oaks Trigonobalanus The family Fagaceae, or beech family, is characterized by alternate leaves with pinnate venation, flowers in the form of catkins, and fruit in the form of nuts, one to seven... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Lithocarpus. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Philip Miller (1691 - 1771) was a botanist of Scottish descent. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Lithocarpus. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth A tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant. ... Southern live oaks on Skidaway Island, near Savannah, Georgia Live oak is a common name for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that happen to share the character of evergreen foliage. ... A Silver Fir shoot showing three successive years of retained leaves In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant which retains its leaves year-round, with each leaf persisting for more than 12 months. ...

This profusion of common names partly reflects an ongoing controversy about the classification of various live oaks, in particular its near relatives among the white oaks (Quercus subgenus Quercus, section Quercus). Some authors recognize as distinct species forms that others consider to be varieties of Quercus virginiana. Notably, the following two taxa, treated as species in the Flora of North America, are treated as varieties of Southern live oak by the United States Forest Service: Genus Quercus Subgenus Quercus Typical oaks. ... In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic grade intermediate between genus and species. ... The USDA Forest Service, a United States government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is under the leadership of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. ...

• Texas live oak, Quercus fusiformis (a.k.a. Q. virginiana var. fusiformis)
• Sand live oak, Quercus geminata (a.k.a. Q. virginiana var. geminata)

Matters are further complicated by the fact that Southern live oak hybridizes with both the above two species, and also with Dwarf live oak (Q. minima), Swamp white oak (Q. bicolor), Durand oak (Q. durandi), Overcup oak (Q. lyrata), Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), and Post oak (Q. stellata). Binomial name Quercus fusiformis Texas live oak is an evergreen or nearly evergreen oak tree, Quercus fusiformis, native to the southern United States, in Texas from about Corpus Christi west to the Pecos River and north to southern Oklahoma, and also in adjacent northeastern Mexico in Coahuila and Nuevo Le... In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ... Binomial name Quercus bicolor Willd. ... Binomial name Quercus macrocarpa Michx. ... Binomial name Quercus stellata Wangenh. ...

Typical Southern live oak is found from eastern Maryland to Florida, including the Florida Keys, and west to southeast Texas. Texas live oak occurs primarily in Texas, on the Edwards Plateau and the Rio Grande Plain, but can be found as far west as Terrell County, Texas, in southwestern Oklahoma and northeastern Mexico. Sand live oak occurs from North Carolina to Florida in the east and Mississippi in the west. State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich (R) Senators Paul Sarbanes (D) Barbara Mikulski (D) Official language(s) English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Official language(s) English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys is an archipelago or cluster of about 1700 islands in the extreme southeast of the United States. ... ... Terrell County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... Oklahoma is a South Central state of the United States (with strong Southern, Western, and Midwestern influences) and its U.S. postal abbreviation is OK; others abbreviate the states name Okla. ... Link titleLink title == == State nickname: Tar Heel State; Old North State Other U.S. States Capital [i ,ove dance this wed site dosnt really have a lot of onfo on it so dot wast your time PostalAbbreviation = NC Largest city {{{LargestCity}}} Governor {{{Governor}}} Senators {{{Senators}}} Official language(s... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Official language(s) English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... State nickname: Magnolia State Other U.S. States Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Governor Haley Barbour (R) Senators Thad Cochran (R) Trent Lott (R) Official language(s) English Area 125,546 km² (32nd)  - Land 121,606 km²  - Water 3,940 km² (3%) Population (2000)  - Population 2,697,243 (31st)  - Density...

A Southern Live Oak in Collins, Georgia. The photo gives an idea of the scale of the tree's height and girth, as it easily dwarfs the nearby farmhouses.

Southern live oak is long-lived. Depending on the growing conditions, they vary from the shrubby to the large and spreading: typical open-grown trees reach 15 metres (50 feet) in height, but may span nearly 50 metres. Their lower limbs often sweep down towards the ground before curving up again. They can grow at severe angles, and Native Americans used to bend saplings over so that they would grow at extreme angles, to serve as trail markers. They drop their leaves, and grow new ones, within a few weeks in spring. The bark is furrowed longitudinally, and the acorns are small, but long and tapered. Trees frequently have rounded clumps of ball moss or thick drapings of Spanish moss, and mistletoe is often found on them. Download high resolution version (832x572, 143 KB)Live Oak tree in Collins, Georgia. ... Download high resolution version (832x572, 143 KB)Live Oak tree in Collins, Georgia. ... Collins is a city located in Tattnall County, Georgia. ... Native Americans is a term which has several different common meanings and scope, according to regional use and context. ... Binomial name Tillandsia usneoides Ref: ITIS 42371 2002-08-25 Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) closely resembles its namesake Usnea, or beard moss yet is not a moss at all, but instead a flowering plant in the Family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from tree branches in full sun or... Families Santalaceae (Viscaceae) Loranthaceae Mistletoe is the common name for various parasitic plants of the families Santalaceae (in the section of the family formerly separated as Viscaceae) and Loranthaceae. ...

Southern live oak can grow in moist to dry sites. They can withstand occasional floods and hurricanes, and are resistant to salt spray and moderate soil salinity. They tend to survive fire, because often a fire will not reach their crowns. Even if a tree is burned, its root crowns and roots usually survive the fire and sprout vigorously. Furthermore live oak forests discourage entry of fire from adjacent communities because they provide dense cover that discourages the growth of a flammable understory. Although they grow best in well-drained sandy soils and loams, they will also grow in clay.

Angel Oak of Johns Island, South Carolina. Angel oak is estimated at 1400 years of age. The person by the tree is 160 centimeters (63 inches) tall.

Among the animals for which live oak acorns are an important food source are the Bobwhite Quail, the threatened Florida Scrub Jay, the Wood Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Wild Turkey, Black Bear, various species of squirrel, and the White-tailed deer. Native Americans extracted an oil from the acorns. The tree crown is very dense, making it valuable for shade, and the species provides nest sites for many other species. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 437 KB) Summary Photo of Angel Oak, located in Johns Island, South Carolina. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 437 KB) Summary Photo of Angel Oak, located in Johns Island, South Carolina. ... Binomial name Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Bobwhite Quail or Northern Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus, is a ground_dwelling bird native to North America. ... Threatened species refers to animal and plant species under a serious, but perhaps not imminent, threat of extinction. ... Florida Scrub Jay Conservation status: Vulnerable Categories: Stub | Corvidae ... Binomial name Aix sponsa (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is a medium-sized perching duck. ... Binomial name Sphyrapicus varius (Linnaeus,, 1766) The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, is a medium-sized woodpecker. ... Binomial name Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758 This article is about a type of bird. ... Binomial name Ursus americanus The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), also known as simply the black bear or cinnamon bear, is the most common bear in North America. ... Genera Many, see the article Sciuridae. ... Binomial name Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann, 1780 The White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer found throughout the 48 contiguous states of the United States, southern Canada and as far south as Panama. ...

In the days of wooden ships, live oaks were the preferred source of the framework timbers of the ship, using the natural branch angles for their strength. The USS Constitution was constructed from Southern live oak wood harvested from St. Simons Island, Georgia, and the density of the wood grain allowed it to survive cannonade. Trees in excess of 500 years were once common, and one, the Angel Oak on Johns Island, South Carolina is estimated at 1400 years of age; it is 20 m tall, 2.47 m diameter, and with a maximum spread (longest branch) of 27 m; the crown covers an area of 1,580 m². It is threatened by nearby development. The USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides is a wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy. ... St. ...

A few cities have managed to preserve their trees, and live oaks, often draped with Spanish moss, are part of the charm of southern cities like Charleston, South Carolina, Georgetown, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. Motto: Fedes Mores Juraque Curat Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City Founded Incorporated 1670   County Berkeley and Charleston Counties Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. ... Historic Front Street Georgetown is a city located in Georgetown County, South Carolina. ... City nickname: The Hostess City Location Government County Chatham Mayor Otis S. Johnson Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 202. ...

See also: Treaty Oak The Treaty Oak is a once-majestic Southern live oak in Austin, Texas. ...

External links

• USDA Fire Ecology Information Service entry on Quercus virginia (source of most of the information above)
• Flora of North America - Quercus
• Florida Forest Trees - Live oak (Quercus virginiana)
• Myke's Photos of the Angel Oak
• live oak trees(source of most of the information above)
• Bartram on the Live Oak and Florida Forest The naturalist William Bartram describes the Live Oak in the northern Florida forest.