Plant Index


 
 
 
 

Quercus nigra

Quercus nigra L.

water oak, paddle oak

Synonym(s): Quercus microcarya, Quercus nigra var. heterophylla
Quercus nigra (Water Oak)
Image ID: 16607
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: QUNI
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus nigra
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-28

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: QUERC
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Quercus
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Oak
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 350-530 species, trees and shrubs, of temperate, subtropical, and rarely tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Oaks are the predominant tree of our area, with a variety of species dominating much of the landscape in nearly every ecological situation. Only in a few specialized (and usually in some sense edaphically extreme) communities are oaks generally entirely absent: deepest Coastal Plain swamps, some Coastal Plain depression ponds, wettest pine savannas, pocosins, spruce-fir forests, highest elevation northern hardwood forests, and mountain bogs.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Many oak species are well-adapted to ecological situations in which fires frequently burn the ground layer. Fire-maintained communities of the Piedmont and Mountains typically have oaks such as Q. stellata, Q. marilandica var. marilandica, Q. ilicifolia, and Q. prinoides. The two latter species are normally shrubby, and have become rarer because of fire suppression (they require fire to prevent larger trees from outcompeting them). In contrast, Q. stellata and Q. marilandica var. marilandica become larger and more frequent in fire-suppressed conditions.
GENUS REFERENCES: Nixon in FNA (1997) (overall treatment); Jensen in FNA (1997) (red oaks); Nixon & Muller in FNA (1997) (white oaks); Godfrey (1988); Stein, Binion, & Acciavatti (2003); Cronquist (1991); Duncan & Duncan (1988); Hunt (1990)=Z; Hunt (1994); Kubitzki in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: FAGACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Fagaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1829
FAMILY COMMON: Beech Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 620-1050 species, trees and shrubs, mostly of the Northern Hemisphere, but extending into se. Asia and Australia.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Nixon in FNA (1997); Govaerts & Frodin (1998); Kubitzki in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Elias (1971a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 50-80 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: April
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x x

BLOOM COLOR:
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD: Sep-Nov (of the second year).

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: As its name indicates, water oak is adapted to wet, swampy areas; however, it will tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, including well-drained sites or heavily compacted soils. It has a broad, rounded open canopy with bluish-green, spatula-shaped leaves. It is a medium-sized oak tree that is often used as a street tree or shade tree in urban areas. Water oak produces an abundant amount of small (~1/2" long) acorns, which are eaten by many species of wildlife. The genus Quercus supports up to 518 lepidoptera species.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 6
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id Project Collection date Collector Action
139 HORT 2006-09-01 Gocke View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id acc_num acc_dt coll_id Action
138 2010-0053 2010-11-16 139 View
3759 1991-0454 View
4480 1992-0636 View
4982 1995-0100 View
5175 1995-0294 View
6266 1995-1398 View
8585 2006-0164 2006-08-11 View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num acc_id loc_num pers_num inst_dt Action
272 138 108 Liloia 2011-03-03 View
6066 3759 199 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
6808 4480 200 NCBG staff 1993-03-01 View
7401 4982 202 NCBG staff 1992-01-01 View
7621 5175 203 NCBG staff 1992-01-01 View
7622 5175 203 NCBG staff 1992-01-01 View
8921 6266 2 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
11775 8585 205 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: QUNI
USDA Common Name: Water Oak
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FAC FAC FAC FACW

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus nigra
COMMON NAME: Water Oak, Paddle Oak
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, G, GW, K, Mo, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, Z; > Q. nigra var. nigra - F; > Q. nigra var. heterophylla (Aiton) W.W. Ashe - F: = Q. aquatica Walter]
PHENOLOGY: Apr; Sep-Nov (of the second year).
HABITAT: Bottomland forests, especially on levees or second terraces where flooded infrequently and for short periods, less commonly on mesic slopes.
COMMENTS: Primarily a species of the Southeastern Coastal Plain: s. NJ south to s. FL and west to e. TX and se. OK, north in the interior to se. TN, c. TN, w. and sc. KY (Clark et al. 2005), se. MO, and e. OK. Seedlings and fire sprouts of this species are highly variable; see discussion at end of generic treatment.
RANGE MAP: Quercus nigra.png

Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Fagaceae Dumortier 1829 (Beech Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 620-1050 species, trees and shrubs, mostly of the Northern Hemisphere, but extending into se. Asia and Australia.
REFERENCE: Nixon in FNA (1997); Govaerts & Frodin (1998); Kubitzki in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Elias (1971a).
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Quercus L. (Oak)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 350-530 species, trees and shrubs, of temperate, subtropical, and rarely tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Oaks are the predominant tree of our area, with a variety of species dominating much of the landscape in nearly every ecological situation. Only in a few specialized (and usually in some sense edaphically extreme) communities are oaks generally entirely absent: deepest Coastal Plain swamps, some Coastal Plain depression ponds, wettest pine savannas, pocosins, spruce-fir forests, highest elevation northern hardwood forests, and mountain bogs.
REFERENCE: Nixon in FNA (1997) (overall treatment); Jensen in FNA (1997) (red oaks); Nixon & Muller in FNA (1997) (white oaks); Godfrey (1988); Stein, Binion, & Acciavatti (2003); Cronquist (1991); Duncan & Duncan (1988); Hunt (1990)=Z; Hunt (1994); Kubitzki in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Quercus nigra in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Quercus nigra in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Quercus nigra in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Quercus nigra in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Quercus nigra in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Quercus nigra

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 16607 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 16607 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 16607 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

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45 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

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