This will help: images of
Q Laurifolia

google it then click on the images tab. there will be millions of pix.

Laurel Oak is a fairly weak wooded tree with a short life span. I wouldn't want one next to my house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Floridata

Ditto for willow oak and water oak.

The oak tree that was sent to me as a freebie as q. laurifolia has been a very fast growing oak - deer browsed it, and it grew back quickly with extra growth. The new growth is a pretty bright red color, and the leaves look similar to water oak leaves that grow on the shaded, under parts of the tree or the leaves of a water oak seedling that's come up in a shady place - somewhat long and narrow, with only a bulging area on one part of the leaf.
Here's two pictures of leaves on my laurel oak - it's still got green leaves -
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Sherry

Weak wooded? Short lived??
Ditto for willow and water oaks?!?!

I always knew these trees were boring and overplanted but I had always assumed that long lifespan and strong wood was amongst their redeeming qualities. I have noticed that they will somewhat colonize an area but haven't observed them being particularly weak wooded or short lived. In fact around here in N.Ga I have seen quite a few very old water oaks. Hmm. Very interesting. Can anyone else confirm what that floridata article said?

I've been looking at the leaves on the seedling oaks that are coming up around here, quirky, and I'm wondering if many of these are really laurel oaks - the leaves look just like the ones in the above pictures for the entire little tree.
I can't speak for willow oaks, but I don't believe water oaks are short lived and weak wooded. I have a LOT of them, and they withstood Hurricane Katrina very well - I only lost two big ones, they were uprooted, not broken off like loblolly pines. I've got some mighty big ones that must be old, and, although they lost some limbs, what big, heavy trees didn't? Sounds like more misinformation out there!
Sherry

Both Willow Oak and Water oak are long lived oaks. They both normally live to about 200 years old, some likely reach 300 or more years old. There are many huge Water and Willow oaks around here also.

But Laurel oak is short lived, they reach maturity at about 40 or 50 year old, and at about 60 to 100 years old they start to decay, fall apart, and die. Plus they can be very weedy as floridata said, making big thickets of seedlings.

Water oak is the dominant tree here on my property, and I have several that are huge. When they are growing in a dense stand they are fine, because they tend to have compact crowns and straight trunks. The problem I have seen is with open grown trees with huge lateral limbs. These heavy limbs will eventually snap under their own weight and crush whatever is underneath. Another problem with this "trio" is they don't compartmentalize decay very well. All it takes is a small wound to start major trunk rot. Some consider Laurel oak to be the worst of the three, while some consider Willow oak to be the best of the three.

One thing Ithink most of us can agree on is that there are far more interesting oaks to plant than laurel, water and willow and live. I absolutely can't stand willow oaks at this point because their leaves are hard to rake and get stuck in the lawn and in addition to having usually very poor fall color intensity. I do not see what the appeal is with these trees.

I agree - I don't need any more water oaks.
I planted all the shumard oak acorns, Alabama - I felt like a squirrel, going all over the property, punching holes and working up some loose dirt before planting them. I can't wait 'til spring!
Sherry