NPSOT Logo
Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language
Search

Native Plant Society of Texas

Search
Close this search box.

Live Oak

Quercus virginiana

Other common name(s):

Southern Live Oak

Family:

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, 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, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

40
to
50
ft.

Spread

60
to
60
ft.

Leaf Retention

Semi Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Acid, Poor Drainage, Neutral

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Nuts, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Oak wilt susceptible. Prune only during hottest & coldest months; paint any pruning wounds to prevent oak wilt. Provide large open space. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Popular in residential areas throughout the state. Briefly drops leaves in spring then immediately replaces them. Saline tolerant and tolerant of compaction. Native Habitat coastal plains; moist hammocks. Larval Host: Horace’s Duskywing, White Hairstreak, Northern Hairstreak.

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. 345, 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUVI. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Quercus+virginiana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=12064&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19283#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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

Become a Member

Become an important part of a statewide community with over 4,000 members, who are united in our mission to promote Texas native plants!

Join Us!

Stay Informed

To keep up with what’s new at the Native Plant Society of Texas, subscribe to the state office email list. We won’t share your information with anyone.

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Camera
Member Portal
Chapter Tool Chest
Admin Login

Native Plant Society of Texas is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization This website and all content Copyright © Native Plant Society of Texas. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission. Contact the Webmaster.