Quercus stellata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus stell-AY-tuh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Post Oak is a deciduous tree that may grow 40 to 50 feet tall. The tree has alternate leaves with 5 lobes and a hairy, pale underside. The two middle lobes are distinctly square, resulting in an overall cruciform appearance. The bark is scaly in younger trees. As the tree ages, a more blocky and rigid appearance develops. In spring, yellow-green, cylindrical, male flowers and reddish, female spikes mature. The tree produces a 1/2- to 2/3-inch acorn with a warty cap that covers about 1/3 to 1/2 the nut. The acorn requires one growing season to reach maturity. This tree seems to thrive in inhospitable soils, but grows taller in silty loam.
No pests or diseases of major concern but the tree occasionally succumbs to Chestnut blight and is susceptible to oak wilt.
Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Quick ID Hints:
- leaves alternate, simple, 4-8" long, 3-4" wide
- 3 prominent lobes at apex
- 2-3 broad leaf pairs, middle pair largest
- 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:
- stellata
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood is marketed as White Oak and used for construction timbers, posts and railroad cross-ties.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central and Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV. Eastern and central United States: Massachusetts and New York south to Florida, and west to Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- It is a host plant for the Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Grey Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace's Duskywing, and Juvanals Duskywing butterflies. The acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bear.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- resistant to fire and mildly resistant to damage by deer.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 35 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Irregular
- 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)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The brown, egg-shaped acorns are produced either solitary or in pairs and are either sessile or short-stalked. They are 1/2 to 3/4 inch long with caps extending to about one-third of the length of the acorn. The caps have small appressed scales that are light gray or light tan. Acorns are reddish-brown and ½ inch to 1 inch long. Displays from September to November.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Male flowers occur in drooping yellowish catkins. Female flowers are shorter and occur near the tips of twigs. Also male green catkin. Blooms in April
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Insignificant
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are 3 to 8 inches long with wavy to deeply lobed margins. The lobes are rounded and up to 4 on each side with the upper pair often much larger than the others giving it a maltese cross shape. They are leathery and persist into winter. Fall color varies from non-showy brown to yellow. Deeply lobed, thickened and simple green leaves, partially marginated, pinnate and reticulated venation. Appearing somewhat like a maltese cross. Leaves are alternate, and simple.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Scaly
- Bark Description:
- The bark is scaly in younger trees. Mature trees with gray to brownish-gray, rough-textured, and shallowly furrowed with flat ridges
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Branch bark and larger twigs are gray and more smooth, while smaller twigs and young shoots are pale brown and densely short-pubescent.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Fire
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination if young leaves or raw acorns eaten.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
- Leaves
