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Sandjack Oak Quercus incana

Previously known as:

  • Quercus cinerea
  • Quercus oblongata
Phonetic Spelling
KWER-kus in-KAN-nuh
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Bluejack Oak is a thicket-forming deciduous large shrub or small tree with blue-green leaves found in the coastal and Piedmont of NC. Its native habitat is well-drained sandy soils of barrens, ridges, and shaded woods of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas

The trunk is short and the crooked branches form an open, irregular crown. The acorns are formed biennially and are loved by wildlife. The blue-green leaves are attractive but no fall color. It is often found growing in a shrub form to about 20 feet tall.

This is a drought-tolerant tree for well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. The smaller size makes it a perfect shade tree for those with smaller yards but still can provide a haven for wildlife.

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. 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#small tree#shade tree#full sun tolerant#shrub#small shrub#native tree#moth caterpillar host#shade shrub#spring flowers#squirrel friendly#small mammals#NC native#racoons#nighttime garden#blue-green leaves#glossy leaves#pollinator plant#leathery leaves#larval host plant#food source fall#sandhills#food source herbage#sandy soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#partial shade tolerant#problem for horses#Audubon#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#food source winter#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#small tree#shade tree#full sun tolerant#shrub#small shrub#native tree#moth caterpillar host#shade shrub#spring flowers#squirrel friendly#small mammals#NC native#racoons#nighttime garden#blue-green leaves#glossy leaves#pollinator plant#leathery leaves#larval host plant#food source fall#sandhills#food source herbage#sandy soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#partial shade tolerant#problem for horses#Audubon#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#food source winter#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Quercus
    Species:
    incana
    Family:
    Fagaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Southeastern U.S.A to TX
    Distribution:
    AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TX, VA
    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. Acorns provide food for birds, squirrels, raccoons, and deer.
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Food Source
    Edibility:
    Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 55 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 45 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Irregular
    Open
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Very Dry
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Nut
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Biennial round acorns are 1/2 inch, brown with light stripes, red-brown scales on the cup that covers half the nut.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Catkin
    Insignificant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Description:
    Male flowers are drooping yellowish-red catkins in spring. Female flowers are produced singly or in pairs on short stalks.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Glossy
    Leathery
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Thick leathery, glossy, blue-green with short hairy petiole, base acute to rounded, apex acute with a bristle on the tip. Undersides veins are prominent blue-green and hairy. Leaves are tardily deciduous often remain on the tree late into the year. 2-4 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Black
    Dark Gray
    Surface/Attachment:
    Furrowed
    Bark Plate Shape:
    Square
    Bark Description:
    Thick, dark gray to black furrowed with square plates
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Buds:
    Hairy
    Stem Bud Terminal:
    Cluster of terminal buds
    Stem Cross Section:
    Angular
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
    Stem Description:
    Red-brown buds, oval with hairy scales, brown twigs 5-angled hairy when young.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Nighttime Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Shade Tree
    Small Tree
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Pollinators
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    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:
    Gallotannin
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No