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live oak questions

11 years ago

I'm on vacation at Walt Disney World with my family at the moment.

Around all the parks and resorts are a lot of what I presume to be Southern Live Oak, Quercus virginiana, and they're dropping a large number of their elongated, shiny acorns at the moment.

However, today at Epcot, I saw a few trees that looked almost the same as a Q. virginiana, perhaps a bit more upright in growth, but very similar leaves and bark. However, the acorns were almost spherical, but flattened at the end that attaches to the cup, almost like the acorns of a Pin Oak.

What would this tree have been? Looking online it seems somewhat like the Laurel Oak, Q. hemispherica, but I'm not sure, any ideas?

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Comments (7)

alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
11 years ago
The bark on Laurel oak looks different from Live Oak, it looks more gray, similar to Willow Oak.
scotjute Z8
11 years ago
Perhaps you are looking at Willow Oak. This is a deciduous oak, more upright than Live Oak with similar leaf shape. Bark is somewhat similar, but smoother than Live Oak if I remember correctly.
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saccharum
11 years ago
It's most likely laurel oak, which is exceedingly common in that area. Willow oak doesn't range down into central FL. Like alabamatreehugger said, laurel oak bark is greyer than live oak. Your description of the acorns also sounds right, compared the ones that are raining down around my office right now.
j0nd03
11 years ago
See link for comparison

Here is a link that might be useful: Live oak/Laurel oak comparison
hairmetal4ever
Original Author
11 years ago
DEFINITELY a Laurel Oak, Q. laurifolia on further investigation.

In fact, now that I think about it, I think there is one of them growing at a park in Columbia, MD. It seems to be evergreen (full green leaf in January last year when I drove by it), and looks like that tree.

So I collected a few acorns from the tree here at Disney, as well as some Live Oak acorns.

How do I germinate them? DO either need stratification? If not, will they winterkill in MD? Will they survive even at the post-seedling phase?

I've seen both Q. virginiana and Q. laurifolia in my area, the Laurel Oak at a park in Columbia (Z6b/7a) and a few Q. virginiana at the National Arboreatum in Washington, DC.

Are these the best evergreen/semi-evergreen oaks for my area? Are there other good choices?

What are the hardiest evergreen oaks overall?
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
11 years ago
There are big differences between the two. Laurel Oak is faster growing, but a very short lived and weak wooded tree. It's also weedy, because those little acorns germinate everywhere they land. Live Oak grows at a more moderate rate, but it's wood is much stronger. It also has a deeper root system.

Laurel Oak is considered a 'red oak' and the acorns germinate in the spring. Live Oak is considered a 'white oak' and it's acorns germinate in the fall.
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
11 years ago
The best way I have stored acorns is in dampened long sphagnum moss, in a ziplock bag. leave them in the fridge until spring, but check them every two weeks for mold. If you see any mold forming clean them off and put them in some new moss.

The live oak acorns may start putting out some radicles/roots now, but it's no big deal as long as they're kept moist and cold.

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