General Landscape Uses:
Shade tree.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Large deciduous tree 120 feet tall with scaly bark. Large leaves 4-8 inches long and 3-4 inches wide with numerous shallow lobes that appear to undulate.
Dimensions: Typically 120 feet in height, taller than broad. Up to 143 feet in height in north Florida.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southern United States south to Pasco and Lake counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Mesic, calcareous hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or calcareous sandy soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: 1-1.5 inch acorn
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval plant for Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) butterfly.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Wunderlin and Hansen 2011
Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
