Quercus virginiana - Live oak
Family Fagaceae
Description:
About 600 species of oaks can be found around the world, mostly in the northern hemisphere. The live oak is native to the southern United States, northern Mexico, and Cuba. This is an icon of the American South. Old live oaks are known for their massive trunks and wide spreading canopies. Some of these old trees are honored for their great age and association with historic events. Historically, the durable hard wood of this tree made it an important timber tree. Today, it is a valued landscape tree. It produces an abundance of small acorns that serve as food for wildlife.
Location:
This is a common tree throughout campus.
Size:
A large, spreading tree to about fifty feet tall in the garden. Trees over eighty feet tall have been recorded. The branches of the Treaty Oak in Jacksonville spread nearly 150 feet.
Care Instructions:
Light: full sun
Water: drought tolerant when established, responds well to moisture
Soil: very adaptable
The live oak is a popular shade tree and is common in northeast Florida woodlands. Plant it in a sunny, reasonably well-drained site, preferably where its roots can reach ground water.