Quercus myrtifolia

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Myrtle oak
Myrtle-oak-acorns (8685801809).gif
Leaves and acorns of myrtle oak
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. myrtifolia
Binomial name
Quercus myrtifolia
Quercus myrtifolia range map.PNG
Synonyms [2]
List
  • Quercus aquatica var. myrtifolia(Willd.) A.DC.
  • Quercus myrtifolia f. amplaTrel.
  • Quercus nitidaRaf.
  • Quercus phellos var. arenariaChapm.
  • Quercus phellos var. myrtifolia(Willd.) Wenz.

Quercus myrtifolia, the myrtle oak, [3] is a North American species of oak. It is native to the southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina). It is often found in coastal areas on sandy soils. [4]

Contents

It is an evergreen tree that can reach 12 meters (39 feet) tall, also appearing as a shrub in drier sites. It has leaves with no teeth or lobes, which are hairless on the upperside and also on the underside except along the veins. [5]

Myrtle oak exhibiting a shrubby growth form Quercus myrtifolia mosbo6.jpg
Myrtle oak exhibiting a shrubby growth form

Taxonomy

This plant was first identified by Carl Ludwig von Willdenow. [6] Some synonyms for Quercus myrtifolia are Quercus nitida, Quercus aquatica var. myrtifolia, Quercus myrtifolia f. ampla, Quercus phellos var. arenaria, and Quercus phellos var. myrtifolia. [7] The common name is the Myrtle Oak [8]

Description

The Myrtle Oak often grows as a shrub, but can also take the form of a tree. In maturity it grows to 15–20 feet (4.6–6.1 m) tall and 8–10 feet (2.4–3.0 m) wide. It is considered a red oak. [9] The leaves are simple alternate. [10] They appear dark green with a yellow-green underside. The leaves have a leathery texture, and an obovate shape. [10] There are small hairs on the underside of the leaves. [11] The acorns are about 12 inch (13 mm) long, and mature in 18 months. [12] Small green flowers bloom in April-May. [9] It has a grey smooth stem that furrows in maturity. Twigs can be reddish brown when they are younger. [10] A commonly associated oak of Q. myrtifolia is Quercus geminata. However, the leaf of Q. geminata is a narrow elliptic shape and has a wrinkled appearance. Quercus myrtifolia also grows better in shaded and upper dune environments. [13]

Distribution

Quercus myrtifolia is present in the southeastern United States. [8] It occurs in sandy soils along coastlines up to 350 feet (110 m) above sea level. [9] Habitats are dry sandy ridges in scrub oak forests with yellow pines, and dry-site hardwood forests. [14] The most common trees it grows with are Quercus incana, Quercus laevis, Quercus marilandica, Quercus margaretta, Quercus geminata, and Quercus virginiana. [14]

Uses

This plant is mostly used in gardening as a backdrop or accent plant. It is very low maintenance and its evergreen leaves provide cover during the winter. [15]  It may also have medicinal uses. The bark may be used as an antiseptic and hemostatic. It may even be useful for treating tooth aches, gastropathies, burns, and reduce inflammation. [16] These types of medicinal uses are typical of many oak trees. [17]

Climate resiliency

Increased levels of CO2 in the environment of Quercus myrtifolia led to a decrease in leaf area. Additionally, this also led to an increase in sugar and starch content. [18] Higher levels of CO2 led to lower occurrence of leaf asymmetry this can better protect leaves from leaf miners. [19] Prescribed burns may be beneficial to the recruitment of Q. myrtifolia seedlings. [20] It is also possible that mature Myrtle Oaks eventually stop producing acorns making fires important for the growth of new trees. [21] Prescribed burns may be beneficial to the recruitment of Q. myrtifolia seedlings. [20] Quercus myrtifolia displays resiliency to prescribed and lightning caused burns on the Florida Lake Wales Ridge. [22] After palmetto scrub fires Q. myrtifolia managed to reach preburn values within 5 years. [23] Seasonal drought can have a large impact on the Q. myrtifolia. A dry spring season is known to greatly decrease its growth rate. [24] Myrtle Oak is also considered to be extremely wind resistant. [25]

Pests

A variety of insects feed on the Myrtle Oak including oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, and caterpillars. [9]  Burrowing beach mice threaten acorns even when protected by cages. [26] Hibiscus mealybugs are also known to host in the tree. [27] Like all oaks, Quercus myrtifolia is susceptible to oak wilt. [9] Seeds with holes in them may be infested with weevils. [28]

Cultivation

The Myrtle Oak can be used as an accent plant in garden settings. Despite this it is rarely available in nurseries. If growing a Myrtle Oak one should plant in full sun and well drained soil. It is very drought resistant. [29]  If it is planted outside it should be protected from pests, and buried at a depth equal to the diameter of the acorn. [30]

Conservation

Myrtle Oak is considered critically imperiled in South Carolina, imperiled in Mississippi, and vulnerable in Georgia. [31]

Related Research Articles

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An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; it includes some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen. Fossil oaks date back to the Middle Eocene. Molecular phylogeny shows that the genus is divided into Old World and New World clades, but many oak species hybridise freely, making the genus's history difficult to resolve.

<i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus muehlenbergii, the chinquapinoak, is a deciduous species of tree in the white oak group. The species was often called Quercus acuminata in older literature. Quercus muehlenbergii is native to eastern and central North America. It ranges from Vermont to Minnesota, south to the Florida panhandle, and west to New Mexico in the United States. In Canada it is only found in southern Ontario, and in Mexico it ranges from Coahuila south to Hidalgo.

<i>Quercus velutina</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus velutina, the black oak, is a species of oak in the red oak group, native and widespread in eastern and central North America. It is sometimes called the eastern black oak.

<i>Quercus virginiana</i> Species of oak tree

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 South. Many very large and old specimens of live oak can be found today in the Deep South region of the United States.

<i>Quercus macrocarpa</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, Quercus sect. Quercus, and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oak. The acorns are the largest of any North American oak, and are important food for wildlife.

<i>Quercus stellata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus stellata, the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges, and also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to rot, fire, and drought. Interbreeding occurs among white oaks, thus many hybrid species combinations occur. It is identifiable by the rounded cross-like shape formed by the leaf lobes and hairy underside of the leaves.

<i>Quercus agrifolia</i> Evergreen oak tree native to California

Quercus agrifolia, the California live oak, or coast live oak, is an evergreen live oak native to the California Floristic Province. Live oaks are so-called because they keep living leaves on the tree all year, adding young leaves and shedding dead leaves simultaneously rather than dropping dead leaves en masse in the autumn like a true deciduous tree. Coast live oaks may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is generally a medium-sized tree. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section of oaks.

<i>Quercus douglasii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus douglasii, known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a dominant species in the blue oak woodland ecosystem. It is occasionally known as mountain oak and iron oak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

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<i>Quercus falcata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus falcata, also called southern red oak, spanish oak, bottomland red oak or three-lobed red oak is an oak. Native to the southeastern United States, it gets its name the "Spanish Oak" as these are the areas of early Spanish colonies, whilst "southern red oak" comes from both its range and leaf color during late summer and fall. The southern red oak is a deciduous angiosperm, so has leaves that die after each growing period and come back in the next period of growth.

Scrub oak is a common name for several species of small, shrubby oaks. It may refer to:

<i>Quercus coccifera</i> Species of tree

Quercus coccifera, the kermes oak, is an oak bush in the Ilex section of the genus. It has many synonyms, including Quercus calliprinos. 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 Cyprus and Turkey, crossing Spain, Italy, Libya, Balkans, and Greece, including Crete. The Kermes Oak was historically important as the food plant of Kermes scale insects, from which a red dye called crimson was obtained. The etymology of the specific name coccifera is related to the production of red cochineal (crimson) dye and derived from Latin coccum which was from Greek κόκκος, the kermes insect. The Latin -fera means 'bearer'.

<i>Quercus lobata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus lobata, commonly called the valley oak or roble, is the largest of the California oaks. It is endemic to the state, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou to San Diego counties. Deciduous, it requires year-round groundwater, and may live up to 600 years. Its thick, ridged bark and deeply lobed leaves are characteristic, and assist in identification.

<i>Quercus lyrata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus lyrata, the overcup oak, is an oak in the white oak group. The common name, overcup oak, refers to its acorns that are mostly enclosed within the acorn cup. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. There are historical reports of it growing in Iowa, but the species appears to have been extirpated there. It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature. It has an estimated lifespan of 400 years.

<i>Quercus dumosa</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus dumosa is a species of plant in the family Fagaceae, belonging to the white oak section of the oak genus (Quercus). This tree goes by the common names coastal sage scrub oak and Nuttall's scrub oak.

<i>Quercus pagoda</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus pagoda, the cherrybark oak, is one of the most highly valued red oaks in the southern United States. It is larger and better formed than southern red oak and commonly grows on more moist sites. Its strong wood and straight form make it an excellent timber tree. Many wildlife species use its acorns as food, and cherrybark oak makes a fine shade tree. Cherrybark oak was formerly considered to be a subspecies of southern red oak, Quercus falcata, subsp pagodifolia.

<i>Quercus grisea</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus grisea, commonly known as the gray oak, shin oak or scrub oak, is a North American species deciduous or evergreen shrub or medium-sized tree in the white oak group. It is native to the mountains of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It hybridises with four other oak species where the ranges overlap, the Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica), the Gambel oak (Q. gambelii), the Mohr oak (Q. mohriana) and the sandpaper oak (Q. pungens).

<i>Quercus geminata</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus geminata, commonly called sand live oak, is an evergreen oak tree native to the coastal regions of the subtropical southeastern United States, along the Atlantic Coast from southern Florida northward to southeastern Virginia and along the Gulf Coast westward to southern Mississippi, on seacoast dunes and on white sands in evergreen oak scrubs.

<i>Quercus incana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus incana is a species of oak known by the common names bluejack oak, upland willow oak, sandjack oak, and cinnamon oak. It is native to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

The Florida peninsula inland scrub is a shrubland community found on the Florida peninsula. The largest remaining blocks of inland scrub are in and around the Ocala National Forest and in the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it. The scrub occurs on a series of north-south running ridges composed of sand derived from ancient dune fields. The soil, a type of entisol, is derived from quartz and is low in organic matter, silt, and clay. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one.

References

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