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Oglethorpe Oak

Quercus oglethorpensis




Quercus oglethorpensis



State Heritage Status Rankings

Georgia (S2), Louisiana (S1), Mississippi (S2?), South Carolina (S3)



 
Description:

Oglethorpe oak is a medium to large deciduous tree with light gray scaly bark (NatureServe 2003) that resembles the bark of whtie oak (Quercus alba) or post oak (Quercus stellata) (Patrick et. al. 1995). The yellow-green (NatureServe 2003) alternate leathery leaves are 5 to 13 cm in length by 1.5 to 5.0 cm in width. The leaves are elliptic to obovate, smooth on the upper surface and felty on the undersurface. The felty undersurface is from the persistent tawny hairs which are visibly stalked with at least a 10X hand lens. Often the leaves have wavy margins or shallow lobes, but never have bristles or teeth. Oglethorpe oak is monoecious meaning female and male flowers are produced on the same plant. The male flowers are drooping in linear catkins (racemes) and lack petals (Patrick et. al. 1995). The fruit (acorn) is a dull reddish-brown in color (natureServe 2003) and is 1.0 to 1.5 cm in length, produced from September to October, with the cup covering one-third to one-half of the acorn (Patrick et. al. 1995).

Habitat:

Oglethorpe oak inhabits poorly drained alluvial sites with other bottomland hardwoods. In Mississippi, Oglethorpe oak is reported from the upper reaches of the floodplain and in a mixed pine-hardwood forest. Oglethorpe oak is often found along roadsides and old fence rows. The major well-drained soils series in South Carolina and Georgia piedmont are Cecil, Madison, and Davidson, and two specific soil associations 1) Cecil-Madison-Pacolet, and 2) Iredell-Mecklenburg. The Cecil-Madison-Pacolet association is derived from residuum of gneisses miraceous schists and granites, while the Iredell-Mecklenburg association is derived from material weathered from diorites and gabbros. In Mississippi, Oglethorpe oak is often found with calcareous clay soils (NatureServe 2003).

Range:

Oglethorpe oak is found in western South Carolina and adjacent Georgia, with disjunct populations occurring in Mississippi and Louisiana. It is known from Green, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Elbert, and Jasper counties, Georgia; Greenwood, Saluda, McComick, Edgefield, and Abbeville counties, South Carolina; Caldwell Parish, Louisiana; and Scott, Smith, and Jasper counties, Mississippi (NatureServe 2003).





References

  • NatureServe. 2003. Internet Resource. NatureServe.

  • Patrick, T.S., Allison, J.R., and Krakow, G.A. 1995. Protected Plants of Georgia: AN INFORMATION MANUAL ON PLANTS DESIGNATED BY THE STATE OF GEORGIA AS ENDANGERED, THREATENED, RARE, OR UNUSUAL. Georgia Natural Heritage Program. Internet Resource. Protected Plants of Georgia.

  • Radford, A.E., Ahles, H.E., Bell, C.R. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

  • USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5. Internet Resource USDA Plants Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

  • Weakley, A.S. July 2002. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia, Working Draft. Internet Resource. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia.