Quercus laevis
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus LYE-viss
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Turkey oak is a deciduous tree in the red oak family (Fagaceae) native to the southeastern coastal plain from VA to FL and west to LA, growing on dry sandy or rocky soils where few other oaks will grow, often in oak-pine forests. The common name comes from the leaf shape resembling a turkey's foot. It is sometimes confused with the European turkey oak Q. cerris.
Turkey oak grows 30 to 40 feet tall with stout, spreading branches that form a broad, irregular-shaped crown. It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic to calcareous sandy, rocky or loamy soils in full sun to partial shade. The deep tap root makes it drought-tolerant, but it is not salt-tolerant. Propagation is by seed.
The foliage is deeply and narrowly lobed with exceptional red fall color that last into winter. The acorns have a fuzzy reddish-brown cap and mature the second year.
Even though some consider the turkey oak to be a scrub tree, the leaves have an interesting shape and good fall color, making it usable as a shade tree or understory tree, especially in smaller yards. It is wildlife-friendly to complement a pollinator garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Oaks, in general, are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots, and powdery mildew. This tree is highly susceptible to oak wilt. Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils. See potential pests and diseases of oaks to the left.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- laevis
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The wood is used for fuel or rough construction.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South East U.S.A
- Distribution:
- AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , SC , VA
- Fire Risk Rating:
- medium flammability
- 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. Provides cover for wildlife and many birds and mammals eat the acorns.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Wildlife Nesting
- Edibility:
- Acorns are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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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
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Very Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 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 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Acorn is brown and 1 inch long with a cap that is thin, reddish-brown with fuzzy scales enclosing about 1/3 of nut. Fruits mature from September to October of the second year.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Male flowers are in drooping elongated clusters. Female flowers are sessile or short-stalked in the axils of the leaves. Blooms appear in April.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Deltoid
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 4 to 8 in. alternate, simple leaves with 3 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes. They are shiny green above and paler with a few red hairs along the midvein below. Fall color is red to red-orange and may last well into winter. Leaves hang perpendicular to the ground. The 3-lobed leaves resemble a turkey foot.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Black
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Irregular
- Bark Description:
- Dark grey to black mature bark is deeply furrowed with irregular ridges, reddish inner bark
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Smooth/Hairless
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Chestnut brown to grey stems with a few hairs.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Lawn
- Meadow
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Wind
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Horses
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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
