Compare sources for Quercus laurifolia

SE Virginia to S Florida and Texas; to 150 m; introduced in Europe in 1786;

18-24 m; dense rounded crown; trunk to 1.2 m in diameter;

Tardily deciduous. Medium to large tree, under 60’ tall usually

• Short petiole
• Leaf bases mostly V-shaped
• Leaves can be lobed but more like Q. nigra, generally not sharply lobed.
• Lower leaf surface can have hairs in the vein axils
• Secondary veins flush or impressed
• Leaves slightly translucent when backlit
• Tardily deciduous, never evergreen

As compared to Q. hemispaerica:

• Leaves on average wider and widest in the middle (diamond shaped)
• Flowers about 2 weeks earlier than Q hemispaerica

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;

• 3 1/2”
• petiole very short
• vigorous shoots often lobed
• occasional leaves resemble nigra
• at least some leaves on tree widest in the middle (diamond shaped)
• underleaf pale green
• broader, less rigidly linear than phellos

acorn 1.2 cm long; nearly globose; singly; cup subsessile, scaly, shallow; brown at maturity; maturing in 2 years;

• 5/8”
• cup shallow
• scales tight
• cover 1/4 - 1/3 of nut

in spring; 15 days earlier than the closely related Q.hemisphaerica ;

like hemisphaerica

like hemispaherica

hardy; prefers light, moist soils;

• Uncommon and scattered in swmaps, floodplains, wet hammocks
• commonly cultivated
• zones 6-9

– A.Camus : 409; – Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae, subsection Phellos; – Numerous hybrids.