Quercus texana
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Quercus nuttallii
- Quercus nuttallii var. cachensis
- Quercus palustris f. nuttallii
- Quercus shumardii subsp. texana
- Quercus shumardii var. texana
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus tek-SAY-nuh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Nuttall oak is a decidous tree in the Fagaceae (oak) family. It is native to wet, heavy, bottomland soils in floodplain forests along the gulf coasts and up the Mississippi river basin. Nuttall oak is a beautiful, large, shade tree and provides rich, red-orange fall color. It grows up to 80 feet tall with a 50-60' spread forming a large, stately tree with a narrow, rather open, rounded canopy that is somewhat reminiscent of Red Oak.
Well adapted to a wide range of soil types, it does well in low moist areas but is also drought tolerant once established. The crown spreads with age becoming round at maturity. The 4-8" long deciduous leaves are deeply-lobed (more so that Quercus rubra) and have bristles on the tips of some lobes. A lovely dark green during most of the year, this plant puts on a vivid display of brilliant red to red-orange fall and winter foliage, providing a dramatic landscape statement. Fall and winter coloration varies from year to year in USDA hardiness zones 8 and 9. During the winter the bare tree provides interesting branching patterns.
This large shade tree is highly adaptable to urban conditions and does well as a street tree. The acorns mature over 2 seasons and attract birds and small mammals and the tree is a larval host plant for many moths and butterflies making it an excellent choice for a specimen or shade tree in a wildlife garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious pests or diseases.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Sangria'
- 'Sangria'
- 'Sangria'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Sangria'
- 'Sangria'
- 'Sangria'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- texana
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central southern US
- Distribution:
- AL, AR, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, TN, TX
- Wildlife Value:
- Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida. Mildly resistant to deer. Birds and mammals eat the acorns.
- Edibility:
- Acorns are edible once the tannins have been leached or boiled out.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 80 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- 3/4 - 1-inch oval acorns with a shallow thin scaly brown cap covering 1/2- 1/3 of the nut. Matures in 2 years.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Male flowers are borne in clustered, yellowish-green catkins.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 4 to 9 in. alternate, simple leaves with 5 to 9 deeply cut lobes. Undersides are paler with hair tufts in the axils. It has reddish-purple new growth which turns dark green in summer. Fall color is reddish-orange and leaves fall clean.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Black
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Description:
- The bark at first is grey-brown and smooth. Turns black with flat ridges with age.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Twigs are brown to grey and hairless. The buds are grey-brown, ovoid, slightly pubescent with ciliate scales.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Urban Conditions
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination if young leaves and raw acorns eaten.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
- Leaves
