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Water oak Quercus nigra
Fagaceae
Copyright by: Susan Trammell
General Landscape Uses:
Accent tree in moist to wet soils.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Medium to large tree; deciduous
Dimensions: Typically 30-50 feet; to 128 feet in Florida
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Eastern and central United States west to Texas and south to Broward and Collier counties.
Soils: Moist to seasonally wet, moderately well-drained to poorly-drained sandy or organic 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 flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Green.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous. Pollination is by wind.
Flowering Season: Spring
Fruit: Brown acorn. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Larval host plant for Horace's dusky wing (Erynnis horactius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies. The acorns are utilized by squirrels.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
References: Nelson 2003, Schaefer & Tanner 1997
Comments: 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.
