Quercus fusiformis
Texas live oak
South-central United States and northern Mexico
Overview
Quercus fusiformis is an evergreen to semi-evergreen oak of the south-central United States and northern Mexico, reaching 20-50 feet (6-15 m) tall with a broad, rounded crown often as wide as the tree is tall. It frequently grows multi-trunked and produces root sprouts that form clonal groves, locally called motts. The leathery leaves are 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) long, oblong to elliptic, dark green above and paler below, with smooth or few-toothed margins, and they persist through winter, dropping in early spring as new leaves emerge. Acorns are spindle-shaped, or fusiform, 0.5-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) long, dark brown, and set in a deep cup; they ripen in a single autumn. The tree withstands drought, heat, alkaline soils, and cold to about USDA zone 7, taking more cold than the related southern live oak (Quercus virginiana). Its clonal root systems allow oak wilt to move between connected trees, a limitation in motts and dense plantings.
Native Range
Native to the south-central United States and northern Mexico, centered on the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country of central Texas and extending into Oklahoma, the Texas coast, and the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. It grows on limestone hills, plateaus, canyons, and prairies.Suggested Uses
Used as a shade and specimen tree, a street and parkway tree in alkaline-soil regions, and for windbreaks and wildlife plantings in Texas and adjacent areas. Its clonal, mott-forming habit and oak wilt susceptibility make it less suited to dense single-species plantings.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height20' - 50'
Width/Spread30' - 50'
Reaches mature size in approximately 30 years
Bloom Information
Wind-pollinated flowers open in early spring, usually March to April, as new leaves expand. Yellowish male catkins hang in clusters while the small female flowers sit in the leaf axils. Acorns develop over the summer and ripen in a single autumn.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight