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Daimyo Oak Quercus dentata

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
KWER-kus den-TAY-tuh
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Daimyo Oak is a non-native oak with large dramatic leaves and yellow fall color. The leaves can be up to a foot long and 7 inches wide and are the largest of the oak trees. They tend to persist on the tree into winter.  It is not naturalized in the US but grows in some botanical gardens and can be difficult to find in nurseries. It prefers acidic, moist, loamy soil and full sun.

Use this tree as a shade tree in large yards, parks and playgrounds.

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:  Numerous insect and disease pests, but the damage is rarely significant. Susceptible to oak wilt, anthracnose, cankers, leaf spots, powdery mildew, and oak leaf blister. Potential pests include scales, oak skeletonizers, leaf miners, aphids, galls, orangestriped oakworm, buck moth, whitemarked tussock moth, and lace bugs.

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and insects. 

It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus)Edward's hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus)White-m hairstreak (Parrhasius malbum)Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), and Juvenalis duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis).

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • "Carl Ferris Miller'
    Mature height 26 feet
  • 'Pinnatifida'
    Foliage looks fernlike as its leaves are deeply divided into narrow lobes
"Carl Ferris Miller', 'Pinnatifida'
Tags:
#cultivars#deciduous#shade tree#slow growing#moth caterpillar host#showy leaves#large leaves#deer resistant#acorns#nighttime garden#pollinator plant#parks#larval host plant#butterfly friendly#problem for horses#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#butterfly caterpillar host#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • "Carl Ferris Miller'
    Mature height 26 feet
  • 'Pinnatifida'
    Foliage looks fernlike as its leaves are deeply divided into narrow lobes
"Carl Ferris Miller', 'Pinnatifida'
Tags:
#cultivars#deciduous#shade tree#slow growing#moth caterpillar host#showy leaves#large leaves#deer resistant#acorns#nighttime garden#pollinator plant#parks#larval host plant#butterfly friendly#problem for horses#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#butterfly caterpillar host#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Quercus
    Species:
    dentata
    Family:
    Fagaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Russian Far East, Japan, Korea , Mongolia, China, Taiwan
    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. This tree is mildly resistant to damage by deer. Various birds and mammals eat the acorns.
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Cover/Habitat
    Wildlife Food Source
    Edibility:
    Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Poisonous
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Open
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Nut
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    The 1/2 to 3/4 inch oval acorns grow in clusters, are stemless and have a brown hairy cap with scales covering 1/2 to 1/3 of the nut.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Catkin
    Insignificant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Description:
    Pollen flowers in drooping, elongated clusters. Small female flowers at the end of new shoots.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Obovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Sinuate
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are up to a foot long and 8 inches across with wavy margins and shallow lobes at the terminus. The leaf base is auriculated or having several ear-like appendages. Undersides are downy. The stems are 1/2 inch, curved and hairy.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Light Brown
    Surface/Attachment:
    Ridges
    Bark Description:
    The bark is thick, corky and strongly furrowed
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Buds:
    Hairy
    Stem Bud Terminal:
    Cluster of terminal buds
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
    Stem Description:
    Mature stems are brown with hairs
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Meadow
    Recreational Play Area
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Nighttime Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Shade Tree
    Specimen
    Street Tree
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Pollinators
    Small Mammals
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Problems:
    Problem for Horses
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Abdominal pain, constipation then diarrhea (occasionally bloody), depression, frequent urination, discolored urine, jaundice; acorns can obstruct the digestive tract
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Fruits
    Leaves