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Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. The name ''live oak'' comes from the fact that evergreen oaks remain green and "live" throughout winter, when other oaks are dormant and leafless. The name is used mainly in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, where evergreen oaks are widespread in warmer areas along the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
coast from southeast
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
to
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, west along the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...
to
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, and across the southwest to
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. Evergreen oak species are also common in parts of
southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alb ...
and south
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, and are included in this list for the sake of completeness. These species, although not having "live" in their common names in their countries of origin, are colloquially called live oaks when cultivated in North America. When the term live oak is used in a specific rather than general sense, it most commonly refers to the group of species under Quercus ser. Virentes, which includes the southern live oak (''Quercus virginiana''), the first species so named, and an icon of the Old South. According to the Live Oak Society the oldest southern live oak is believed to be the Seven Sisters Oak located in Mandeville, Louisiana with an estimated age of 500–1,000 years. The southern live oak is the official state tree of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. A small grove of live oaks on a prairie is known as a mott.


Wood and lumber

Live oak was widely used in early American butt shipbuilding. Because of the trees' short height and low-hanging branches, lumber from live oaks was used in curved parts of the frame, such as knee braces (single-piece, L-shaped braces that spring inward from the side and support the deck), in which the grain runs perpendicular to structural stress, making for exceptional strength. Live oaks were not generally used for planking because the curved and often convoluted shape of the tree did not lend itself to being milled to planking of any length. Red oak and white oak were generally used for planking on vessels, because those trees grow straight and tall, with straight trunks long enough for planks. Loggers had cut down most of the live oak trees in southern Europe by the latter half of the 19th century. Live oak timber from the United States was similarly sought and exported until metal-hulled commercial vessels became the norm in the early part of the 20th century. Live oak lumber is rarely used for furniture, because it warps and twists while drying. The wood of live oaks continues to be used occasionally in shipbuilding—and in tool handles for its strength, energy absorption, and density, although modern composites are often substituted with good effect. Dry Southern live oak lumber has a
specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water at its dens ...
of 0.88, among the highest of North American hardwoods.


List of evergreen species in genus ''Quercus''

*Section ''Quercus''. The white oaks – Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America, styles short; acorns mature in six months, sweet or slightly bitter, inside of acorn shell is hairless **'' Quercus arizonica'' – Arizona white oak – southwestern North America **'' Quercus fusiformis'' – (also ''Quercus virginiana var. fusiformis'') Texas live oak – south central North America **'' Quercus geminata'' – sand live oak – southeastern North America **''
Quercus greggii ''Quercus greggi'', otherwise known as the Mexican oak, is a monoecious semi-evergreen oak that is adapted to survive in arid conditions. It is native to Mexico and commonly grow around north of the 24th parallel and spreads across multiple l ...
'' – Gregg oak – Mexico **''
Quercus hinckleyi ''Quercus hinckleyi'', commonly called Hinckley oak, is a rare species in the white oak group (''Quercus'' Section ''Quercus''). It has a restricted range in the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico ( Chihuahua ...
'' – Hinckley oak – Texas **''
Quercus ilex ''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. Description An evergre ...
'' – Holm oak – southern Europe **'' Quercus minima'' – dwarf live oak – southeastern North America **''
Quercus oblongifolia Quercus oblongifolia, commonly known as the Mexican blue oak, Arizona blue oak, Blue live oak or Sonoran blue oak, is an evergreen small tree or large shrub in the white oak group. Distribution ''Quercus oblongifolia'' grows in high grasslands, ...
'' – Mexican blue oak – southwestern North America **''
Quercus polymorpha ''Quercus polymorpha'', the Mexican white oak, Monterrey oak or netleaf white oak, is a North American species of oak. It is widespread in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, and known from a single population in the United States (about north of t ...
'' – Mexican white oak or Monterrey oak – Mexico **'' Quercus pungens'' – sandpaper oak – south central North America **''
Quercus rotundifolia ''Quercus rotundifolia'', the holm oak or ballota oak, is an evergreen oak native to the western Mediterranean region, with the majority on the Iberian Peninsula and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was first described by Jea ...
'' − holm oak − southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa **'' Quercus turbinella'' – shrub live oak – southwestern North America **''
Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old Sou ...
'' – southern live oak – southeastern North America *Section ''Cerris''. Europe, Asia, north Africa. Styles long; acorns mature in 18 months, very bitter, inside of acorn shell is hairless or slightly hairy **'' Quercus calliprinos'' – Palestine oak – western Asia **''
Quercus coccifera ''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak, is an oak bush in the '' Ilex'' section of the genus. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to ...
'' – Kermes oak – southern Europe **'' Quercus semecarpifolia'' – Himalayan oak – eastern Asia **''
Quercus suber ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...
'' – Cork oak – southwestern Europe *Section ''Protobalanus'' – Southwest USA, California coastal ranges and northwest Mexico, styles short, acorns mature in 18 months, very bitter, inside of acorn shell is woolly **'' Quercus cedrosensis'' — Cedros Island oak — Baja California **'' Quercus chrysolepis'' – canyon live oak – southwestern North America, especially coastal ranges of California **''
Quercus palmeri ''Quercus palmeri'' is a species of oak known by the common name Palmer oak, or Palmer's oak. It is native to California (as far north as populations just south and east of the San Francisco Bay), Baja California, Southern Nevada, and in Arizona ...
'' – Palmer oak – southwestern North America **'' Quercus tomentella'' – Channel Island oak –
Channel Islands of California The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, ...
**'' Quercus vacciniifolia'' – huckleberry oak – California and southwestern North America *Section ''Lobatae''. The
red oaks The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...
– North, Central and South America, styles long, acorns mature in 18 months, very bitter, inside of acorn shell is woolly **'' Quercus agrifolia'' – coast live and sharpacorn oaks – California and Mexico **'' Quercus canbyi'' – Canby oak – Mexico **'' Quercus emoryi'' – Emory oak – southwestern North America **'' Quercus hemisphaerica'' – laurel oak – southeastern North America **''
Quercus humboldtii ''Quercus humboldtii'', commonly known as the Andean oak, Colombian oak or roble, is a species of oak found only in Colombia and Panamá. It is named for Alexander von Humboldt. Description ''Quercus humboldtii'' is an evergreen tree which gro ...
'' – South American oak – northern South America **'' Quercus laurifolia'' – swamp laurel oak – southeastern U.S. **'' Quercus hypoleucoides'' – silverleaf oak – southwestern North America **''
Quercus parvula ''Quercus parvula'', the Santa Cruz Island oak, is an evergreen red oak (Series ''Agrifoliae'', Section '' Lobatae'') found on north-facing Santa Cruz Island slopes and in the California Coast Ranges from Santa Barbara County north to Mendocino C ...
'' – Santa Cruz Island and Shreve oaks – California **'' Quercus rysophylla'' – loquat leaf oak – Mexico **'' Quercus wislizeni'' – interior live oak – California and Mexico ---- *See the list of Quercus species for a fuller listing of oaks, including
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
species.


References


External links


Images of remarkable Southern Live Oaks

The 1000 Year Old "Big Tree" – Goose Island State Park (Texas)

Live Oak in California

The William Adkins' Live Oak Tree
historical marker {{DEFAULTSORT:Live Oak Quercus L