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Blackjack Oak

Quercus marilandica

Other common name(s):

Barren Oak, Black Oak, Jack Oak

Family:

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

14
to
45
ft.

Spread

14
to
45
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Gravelly

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Red, Green

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Nuts, Nectar, Pollen, Larval Host, Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Important tree of the Cross Timbers Ecoregion. Given good soil and room develops an attractive, symmetrical form. Slow-growing, long-lived. Susceptible to oak wilt. In nature prefers sandy soils and hardpans is more scrubby, and sometimes grows in colonies.. When given good soil and room it develops a more symmetrical form attractive for landscapes. Prune for only in winter or peak of summer.

Comments

A small to medium tree with bell shaped leaves and tiny bristles. Short, nearly black trunk. Leaves wedge shaped, shallowly lobed, glossy dark green, turning dull reddish-brown in fall. Fruit is an acorn. Larval Host: Horace’s Duskywing, White M hairstreak. Birds and small mammals eat acorns.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 344. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUMA3. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Quercus+marilandica&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=12145&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19374#null

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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