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Publication #ENH-720

Quercus stellata: Post Oak1

Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson2

Introduction

This 40 to 50-foot-tall deciduous tree creates a dense, rounded canopy of spreading, twisted branches, but is not cultivated in nurseries. The four to six-inch-long by three to four-inch-wide, shiny, dark green leaves are deeply lobed and appear somewhat in the shape of a Maltese cross. Only rarely do the leaves change to a golden brown in the fall before dropping. The one-half to one-inch-long acorns are quite popular with squirrels and other wildlife. Old trees growing on good soil form a wonderful silhouette in the winter, with large-diameter, curving branches growing from a sinuous trunk.

Figure 1. 

Mature Quercus stellata: Post Oak

General Information

Scientific name: Quercus stellata
Pronunciation: KWERK-us stell-AY-tuh
Common name(s): Post Oak
Family: Fagaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 6A through 9A (Fig. 2)
Origin: native to North America
Invasive potential: little invasive potential
Uses: reclamation; specimen; shade; highway median
Availability: not native to North America

Figure 2. 

Range

Description

Height: 40 to 50 feet
Spread: 35 to 50 feet
Crown uniformity: irregular
Crown shape: round
Crown density: open
Growth rate: moderate
Texture: coarse

Foliage

Leaf arrangement: alternate (Fig. 3)
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: parted, lobed
Leaf shape: elliptic (oval), obovate
Leaf venation: pinnate, reticulate
Leaf type and persistence: deciduous
Leaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: copper
Fall characteristic: not showy

Flower

Flower color: brown
Flower characteristics: not showy

Fruit

Fruit shape: round, oval
Fruit length: .5 to 1 inch
Fruit covering: dry or hard
Fruit color: brown
Fruit characteristics: attracts squirrels/mammals; not showy; fruit/leaves a litter problem

Trunk and Branches

Trunk/bark/branches: branches droop; showy; typically one trunk; thorns
Pruning requirement: little required
Breakage: resistant
Current year twig color: gray, brown
Current year twig thickness: thick
Wood specific gravity: 0.67

Culture

Light requirement: full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; sand; loam; acidic; slightly alkaline; well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate

Other

Roots: not a problem
Winter interest: yes
Outstanding tree: no
Ozone sensitivity: unknown
Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant
Pest resistance: resistant to pests/diseases

Figure 3. 

Foliage

Use and Management

Most often found on dry, low-fertility, sandy soils, Post Oak is extremely drought-tolerant. Trees should be located in full sun. Native trees are very sensitive to soil compaction, drainage changes and soil disturbance. Do not disturb the soil beneath the canopy on a construction site if the tree is to be saved.

Propagation is by seed.

Pests and Diseases

No pests or diseases of major concern but the tree occasionally succumbs to Chestnut blight. There are many other potential problems on Oaks but none are normally serious. Post Oak is susceptible to oak wilt.

Footnotes

1.

This document is ENH-720, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date November 1993. Revised December 2006. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Edward F. Gilman, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.