Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery, 2 to 5 inches long, oblong or elliptical in shape with an entire or spiny and revolute margin. The upper surface is lustrous, the lower is pale and pubescent. Generally, not bristle-tipped.

Flower: Staminate flowers borne on catkins. Pistillate flowers borne on spikes. Appearing March through May.

Fruit: Acorns are in clusters of 3 to 5, maturing in one season. The nut is dark in color, 3/4 inch long and covered 1/3 by the cap. The cap is bowl-shaped and warty, termed "turbinate" by Harlow et al. Maturing in September of the first year.

Twig: Slender, gray and pubescent, with small, blunt, multiple terminal buds.

Bark: Rapidly developing red-brown furrows with small surface scales. Later, becoming black and very blocky.

Form: A medium-sized tree that can grow to massive proportions. Open-grown trees develop a huge rounded crown. The largest crowns may be 150 feet across.

Copyright (c) 2000, 2001 Pee Dee Resource Conservation and Development Council.
This page was last updated on August 31, 2001.

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