Sand Live Oak
Fagaceae
1 gallon, shipped in careful wrapping. Oaks are so ecologically important ; this podcast from Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t absolutely blew my mind about them!
Check it out:
Oaks Are The Beast of an Ecosystem
Valued by the Florida scrub-jay for its acorns which are relatively low in tanins and often used as a nesting tree.
Acorns used by woodpeckers and wild turkey
Valued by squirrels and other mammals including white tailed deer
Acorns are low in tannins making them a preferred nut by birds and other wildlife.
Larval host plant for oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius), Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies and possible larval host for Juvenal's duskywing.
Plant Specifics
| Size: | Height is largely a function of fire frequency, 20-30 ft tall if not burned. Crown width about half the height. | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen. Inconspicuous flowers in early spring. Acorns mature in autumn of same year. | |
| Habitats: | Scrub, sandhill, scrubby flatwoods, flatwoods, coastal hammocks. Increases in flatwoods under winter burn management. |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen tree, shade tree. Thicket in dry sandy areas. |