live oak Fagaceae Quercus virginiana
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:Species is monecious; male flowers borne on catkins, pistillate flowers borne on spikes, appearing in spring.
Fruit:Acorns in clusters of 3 to 5, dark nut, 3/4 inch long and covered 1/3 by the cap; cap is bowl-shaped, turbinate, and warty; maturing in early fall 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.