General Landscape Uses:
Shade tree.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Deciduous tree 75 feet tall with dark brown to black fissured bark. Leaves 4-8 inches long, wider above the middle, typically with 5 major bristle tipped lobes.
Dimensions: Up to 75 feet in height, taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Eastern half of the United States from Maine to Minnesota, south to Holmes to Suwanee counties. A population is also present in Seminole county. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Dry or mesic hammocks, rocky slopes, ravine forests.
Soils: Moist to dry, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.
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: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Characteristics: Conspicuous catkins 3-5 inches long.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Acorn one half inch long.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for wildlife. Larval host for Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) butterfly.
Horticultural Notes: Hard to transplant.
References: Wunderlin and Hansen (
2011), Waskowski (
2010)
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.
