General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Soil pH Preferences: Moderately acid (5.6 – 6.0)
Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7b -15 °C (5 °F) to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 10b
Plant Height: 60 - 80 feet
Plant Spread: 60 - 120 feet
Leaves: Evergreen
Fruit: Edible to birds
Other: 1/3 to 1 inch long acorns with bowl shaped caps.
Fruiting Time: Late summer or early fall
Fall
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Flower Color: Yellow
Other: Pendulous catkins to 3 inches in length.
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Spring
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Street Tree
Uses: Shade Tree
Useful for timber production
Edible Parts: Fruit
Dynamic Accumulator: K (Potassium)
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Birds
Butterflies
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Humidity tolerant
Salt tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Sow in situ
Pollinators: Wind
Containers: Not suitable for containers

Image
Common names
  • Live Oak
  • Southern Live Oak
  • Oak

Photo Gallery
Location: Geneva, AL  Z8b
Date: 2014-03-10
This oak has a plaque stating that it was alive at the time of th
Location: Sebastian,  Florida
Date: 2021-01-26
Location: Sebastian,  Florida
Date: 2023-11-04
Location: Ft Worth, Texas
Date: 2017-11-18
Location: CA
Date: 5/5/2020
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Date: 2012-08-22 
Photo taken at Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens, Port Orange, Florida
Photo by Ivan_N_Tx
Location: Sebastian,  Florida
Date: 2019-01-23
Location: CA
Date: 5/5/2020
Location: CA
Date: 5/5/2020
Location: Sebastian,  Florida
Date: 2019-01-23
Surface Roots
Location: Sebastian, Florida
Date: 2017-05-06
Location: zone 8 North Central, Fl.
Date: 2017-12-23
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: 2011-10-22
Live Oak tree

Date: c. 1865
illustration [as Q. virens] from Michaux's 'North American Sylva'
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-04
Location: Sea World San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-03
Location: Burnet, TX
Date: 2015-06-28
Location: Aberdeen, NC 
Date: April 2, 2023
Live oak #71; RAB p. 376, 55-3-13; LHB p. 33, 50-2-13, "Ancient L
Location: Caryville, FL
Date: 2015-07-10
Photo by sedumzz
Photo by sedumzz
Location: San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-06
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Date: 2017-02-16
great lone specimen at Airlie Gardens
Location: Florida
Location: Sebastian,  Florida
Date: 2020-10-29
Location: Sea World San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-03
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2011-10-30
Acorns, green as well as ripe
Location: Biloxi, MS
Date: 2013-04-03
Location: cemetery in Ft Worth, Tx.
Date: 2017-11-18
Known as the Turner Oak since 1865; growing since 1787
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: 2011-10-22
trunk

Date: 2005-04-13
Credit Alexey Sergeev
Location: Sebastian, Florida
Date: 2017-06-28
Location: Sebastian, Florida
Date: 2017-06-28
Photo by orchidgal
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2015-09-04
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2015-02-14
Location: Port Orange, Florida
Date: 2018-05-01
"Sucker" coming off main trunk.
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: October 
spent female flowers - when alive would have been green with red
Location: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Lake Trail southern live oak (Quercus virginiana)
Date: 2012-01-10
Photo courtesy of: Miguel Vieira

Date: 2005-04-13
Credit Alexey Sergeev
Location: Cypress Gardens, Florida
Location: Sugar Mill Gardens - Port Orange, Florida
Date: 2013-02-01
Location: Southern Pines, NC (Campbell House grounds)
Date: January 1, 2022
Live oak #71; RAB p. 376, 55-3-13; LHB p. 33, 50-2-13, "Ancient L
Location: Caryville, FL
Date: 2015-07-10
Location: Southern Pines, NC (Campbell House grounds)
Date: January 1, 2022
Live oak #71; RAB p. 376, 55-3-13; LHB p. 33, 50-2-13, "Ancient L
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Date: 2017-02-13
leaves close-up
Location: Charleston, SC
Date: 2021-06-14
Location: Blue Springs State Park, Florida
Date: January 23, 2010
Live Oak dripping Spanish Moss
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Date: 2014-4-19
Live Oak
Location: cemetery in Ft Worth, Tx.
Date: 2017-11-18
 the Historic Turner Oak
Location: cemetery in Ft Worth, Tx.
Date: 2017-11-18
Location: cemetery in Ft Worth, Tx.
Date: 2017-11-18
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: 2011-10-24
spent female flowers
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: 2011-10-22
limb with resurrection fern growing on it
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Florida
Date: 2011-10-22
foliage

Date: 2005-08-20
Credit Alexey Sergeev

Date: 2005-04-13
Credit Alexey Sergeev
Location: Sebastian, Florida
Date: 2017-02-16
Location: zone 8/9 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2012-03-04
jasmine like fragrance! very nice
Location: Historic oak in Volusia, Florida, on the St. Johns River.
Date: August 2007.
credit: Ebyabe.
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Date: 2017-02-13
trunks in a park
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Jan 26, 2019 6:14 PM concerning plant:
    For those (like me) unfamiliar with this tree, the reason it is called a 'live' oak is that it is evergreen rather than deciduous like most other oaks. They are found in warmer areas along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida, and across the Gulf coast to California.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jan 5, 2020 8:00 PM concerning plant:
    I've seen this very common and glorious species along the coastal area of the Southeast while on vacation. It is in the Black Oak Group with Black, Willow, Shingle, Laurel Oaks and such. Its evergreen leaves are 2 to 5 inches long by 1 to 2.5 inches wide and sort of long rounded. The acorns are about 0.8 inches long, ellipsoidal with the lower 1/3rd covered by a scaly cup, and unlike many other black oaks, the acorns mature in one season and are not bitter. In youth it grows at a medium rate of 1 to 2 feet/year and lives 200 to 300 years or more. It is adaptable to many soils from dry sandy soils to very moist soils. It is tolerant of compacted soils and is used a lot as a street tree.
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 22, 2012 1:01 PM concerning plant:
    Honey bees get nectar and honeydew from this plant. It is an important source of honeydew because it yields plenty of honeydew during drought periods of summer.
  • Posted by plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 11, 2011 2:13 PM concerning plant:
    The LIve Oak tree is found from Southeastern Virginia, south through Florida and west to Southeastern Texas. It is one of the most majestic trees of the south, growing to heights of 80' or more and has the strongest and heaviest wood of any tree in North America. Live Oak is an important food source for animals like the wild Turkey, Black Bear, White-Tailed Deer, the endangered Florida Scrub Jay and many squirrels.
  • Posted by robertduval14 (Milford, New Hampshire - Zone 5b) on Apr 18, 2013 7:16 PM concerning plant:
    Georgia's state tree.
Plant Events from our members
WebTucker On January 1, 2022 Obtained plant
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Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Fort Worth cemetery Live Oak tree by jmorth Nov 30, 2017 3:04 PM 3
Where? by tx_flower_child Jan 25, 2019 11:31 PM 2

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