Quercus stellata, the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to rot, fire, and drought. Interbreeding occurs among white oaks, thus many hybrid species combinations occur.
Species of oak tree
"Post Oak" redirects here. For other uses, see Post Oak (disambiguation).
Post oak
The Houston Campsite Oak in Grapevine Springs Preserve, Coppell, Texas
The species is native to the eastern and central United States, and found along the east coast from Massachusetts to Florida, and as far inland as Nebraska.[3] It is identifiable by the rounded cross-like shape formed by the leaf lobes and hairy underside of the leaves.
Post oak is a relatively small tree, typically 10–15 metres (33–49 feet) tall and trunk 30–60 centimetres (12–24 inches) in diameter, though occasional specimens reach 30m (98ft) tall and 140cm (55in) in diameter. The leaves have a very distinctive shape, with three perpendicular terminal lobes, shaped much like a Maltese cross. They are leathery, and tomentose (densely short-hairy) beneath. The branching pattern of this tree often gives it a rugged appearance. The acorns are 1.5–2cm (5⁄8–3⁄4in) long, and are mature in their first summer.[5]
Similar species
Both Quercus stellata and Q. alba are in a section of Quercus called the white oaks.[6] In the white oak section, Q.stellata is a sister taxon with Q.alba.[7]Q.stellata is sold and distributed as white oak. One identifiable difference between the two trees is that Q.stellata is 'hairy' on the underside of the leaf.[8]
Taxonomy
The specific epithet stellata is Latin for "star";[9] it is named this because the trichome hairs on the bottom of the leaves are stellate[5] or star-shaped. Several variants of Q.stellata were named by American botanist Charles Sprague Sargent. The variety most recognised by the United States Forest Service is Q.stellata var. paludosa Sarg (delta post oak).[10]
Q. stellata is found in the Southeastern United States both inland and along the coast, then in a narrow range along the coastal plain from Maryland to coastal Massachusetts, then westward to Texas, and inland to Iowa. In Texas, the Post Oak Savannah extends down to, and ends in, far northwestern Atascosa county where a fairly dense population exists. Normally found at the edge of a forest, it typically grows in dry, sandy areas, deficient of nutrients.[8]
Ecology
Q. stellata has the ability to survive fires by having thicker bark. It is useful for fire surveys where the tree rings are used to get a fire history of an area. A tree ring survey of 36 trees in Illinois provided a 226-year tree ring record that indicated that many Q.stellata persisted through annual fire return intervals of 1.44 fires/year for over 100 years.[12]
It is used for food for deer, turkeys, squirrels, and other rodents, but because the nuts contain tannin, it is toxic to cattle.[10]
Uses
Because of its ability to grow in dry sites, attractive crown, and strong horizontal branches, it is used in urban forestry. It is resistant to decay, so it is used for railroad ties, siding, planks, construction timbers, stair risers and treads, flooring, pulp, veneer, particle board, fuel, and its namesake fence posts.[10] It is one of the most common types of wood used for Central Texas barbecue.
"Quercus stellata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List.
"Quercus stellata". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
illustration from Histoire des arbres forestiers de l'Amérique septentrionale, considérés principalement sous les rapports de leur usages dans les arts et de leur introduction dans le commerce ... Par F.s André-Michaux. Paris, L. Haussmann,1812-13. François André Michaux (book author), Pierre-Joseph Redouté (illustrator), Renard (engraver)
Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus stellata". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol.3. New York and Oxford – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
McClain, William E.; Esker, Terry L.; Edgin, Bob R.; Spyreas, Greg; Ebinger, John E. (2010-12-01). "Fire History of a Post Oak (Quercus stellata Wang.) Woodland in Hamilton County, Illinois". Castanea. 75 (4): 461–474. doi:10.2179/09-007.1. ISSN0008-7475. S2CID86503496. ProQuest854839641.
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