| Quercus laurifolia | |
| Author | Michx. 1801 Hist. Chênes Amér. 17 |
| Synonyms | aquatica var. laurifolia (Michx.) A.DC
1864 hemisphaerica auct. not Bartr. laurifolia var. obtusa Willd. 1805 laurifolia var. hybrida Michx. 1801 obtusa (Willd.) Ashe1918 obtusa var. obovatifolia Ashe 1922 phellos var. laurifolia (Michx.) Chapman 1860 rhombica Sarg. 1918 |
| Local names | laurel oak ; swamp laurel oak ; Darlington oak ; |
| Range | SE Virginia to S Florida and Texas; to 150 m; introduced in Europe in 1786; |
| Growth habit | 18-24 m; dense rounded crown; trunk to 1.2 m in diameter; |
| Leaves | 5-12 x 1-3 cm; falling in winter; oboval to rhomboid-elliptic (diamond-shaped); apex obtuse, with or without apical mucro; base attenuate or cuneate; margin entire or irregularly lobed in apical 1/3; thin, glabrous; shiny green above, paler beneath without axillary tufts; midrib yellow abaxially; petiole hairless, 2-5 mm long; |
| Flowers | in spring; 15 days earlier than the closely related Q.hemisphaerica ; |
| Fruits | acorn 1.2 cm long; nearly globose; singly; cup subsessile, scaly, shallow; brown at maturity; maturing in 2 years; |
|
Bark, twigs and |
bark smooth, grey brown, becoming blackish and furrowed; twig slender, dark red; terminal bud dark brown, ovoid, 3-6 cm long, pentagonal in cross-section; |
| Hardiness zone, habitat | hardy; prefers light, moist soils; |
| Miscellaneous | -- A.Camus : 409; -- Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae, subsection Phellos; -- Numerous hybrids. |
| Subspecies and varieties |
For some authors, we must distinguish
: Q.obtusata Ashe 1918, nom. illeg., not Humb.& Bonpl.1809 = Q.obtusa (Willd.)Ashe 1918 = Q.rhombica Sarg. 1918 occurs in different sites, where soils are poorly drained. |
| Pictures |
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