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Quercus margarettae is often confused with:
Quercus stellata Quercus stellata, tree
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Quercus incana Branch and leaves (Moore County, NC)-Early Fall
Quercus montana Form
Quercus nigra Quercus nigra
Quercus margarettae has some common insect problems:
Common Insect Pests of Oak in North Carolina
Oak Pest Management Calendar
Quercus margarettae has some common disease problems:
Common Disease Pests of Oak in North Carolina

Oaks Quercus margarettae

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Quercus stellata var. margaretta
Phonetic Spelling
KWER-kus mar-GAR-et-tay
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Sand Post Oak is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to the southeastern U.S.A. from VA south to FL and west to TX. It is most commonly found in sandhills on open ridges, sandhill scrubs, and woods. It generally grows 30-40 feet tall or taller and is a slow-growing sometimes scrubby tree. It may take 20-30 years to produce acorns.

Sand Post Oak prefers sandy to gravelly soils in sun and is drought tolerant once established. It is occasionally used as a shade tree and to help stabilize sandy slopes.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shade tree#full sun tolerant#shrub#native tree#moth caterpillar host#shade shrub#shade garden#spring flowers#fall interest#flowering tree#showy fruits#small mammals#NC native#acorns#nighttime garden#spring interest#pollinator plant#larval host plant#food source fall#sandhills#food source herbage#sandy soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#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#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shade tree#full sun tolerant#shrub#native tree#moth caterpillar host#shade shrub#shade garden#spring flowers#fall interest#flowering tree#showy fruits#small mammals#NC native#acorns#nighttime garden#spring interest#pollinator plant#larval host plant#food source fall#sandhills#food source herbage#sandy soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#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#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Quercus
    Species:
    margarettae
    Family:
    Fagaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    The wood is used for mining timbers, railroad ties, flooring, fence posts and siding.
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Central and southeastern U.S.A.
    Distribution:
    AL , AR , FL , GA , LA , MO , 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. Butterflies use this tree as a larval host. Birds and small mammals use this tree as a food source.
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Food Source
    Wildlife Larval Host
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Dense
    Erect
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil Drainage:
    Occasionally Dry
    Very Dry
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Nut
    Fruit Description:
    Acorns are 1/2 inch long, light brown with a bowl-shaped cap that has thin scales and covers 1/3 to 1/2 of the acorn. They are sessile or have a short stalk. Mature in one year, ripen in fall.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Green
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Catkin
    Insignificant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Description:
    Male flowers light green catkins, female flowers short reddish spikes
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are 2-4 inches long and 1-2 inches wide with a 3-5 irregularly lobed margin, base cuneate to rounded, apex broadly rounded. Thick textured. Shiny dark green above, light green and pubescent below.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Light Brown
    Light Gray
    Surface/Attachment:
    Fissured
    Ridges
    Bark Description:
    Gray to gray-brown, scaly initially and later developing vertical ridges and becoming darker.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Buds:
    Smooth/Hairless
    Stem Bud Terminal:
    Cluster of terminal buds
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
    Stem Description:
    Smooth slender gray twigs with a reddish-brown terminal bud, ovoid with pointed apex, smooth or sparsely pubescent.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Naturalized Area
    Slope/Bank
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Native Garden
    Nighttime Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Shade Tree
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Pollinators
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Dry Soil
    Problems:
    Problem for Horses
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination if uncooked leaves or fruit are eaten.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Fruits
    Leaves