Water White Oak Quercus lyrata

Overcup oak is a deciduous tree in the Fagaceae (oak) family native to central and southeast North America and can be found in the coastal and coastal plains of NC, although not abundantly. In spite of its natural occurrence where periodical flooding is typical, overcup oak grows well on sites with better drainage and soil texture. It gets its common name from the distinctive bur-like acorn cup that typically encloses 2/3 to almost all of the nut. This renders it buoyant in flood areas. Fall color is variable from yellow or brown to red.

Plant this tree in low lying areas or along streams, rivers or ponds in full sun to partial shade. It can be used as a shade tree. As most native oak trees, this is a high-value wildlife plant.  This tree is midly resistant to deer browsing.  

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).

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.  However, this tree is resistant to oak wilt. Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.