Live Oak "Late Drop" Oak (Quercus virginiana)
Toxey discovered this young live one fall afternoon, and noticed that its acorns were still green when they should have been littering the ground. A follow up trip around Christmas time revealed loads of fresh, mature acorns gracing the sidewalk, so he stopped what he was doing and collected a bunch. That was three or four years ago, and the ‘late drop’ live continues to shed its mast about a month and a half to two months later than most other live oaks.
The acorns also have a slightly different look, and a noticeably sweeter taste. Combining those traits with its tardy acorn drop leaves us confused as to whether or not this tree is a hybrid with another type of live oak, a grandchild of a live hybrid that has backcrossed with live, or simply a Southern live with its own personality. Just to illustrate how special this tree is, one surprise seedling nicknamed ‘nugget,’ sports a three inch caliper and acorns at the age of three!
We recommend planting these guys mixed with our other live oaks in hopes of providing a wide window of acorn drop time from mid-October through December. Be sure to provide plenty of space for these trees, because all live oaks prefer to grow wider than tall. Take notice Texas folks!
|
Type: Zone: |
White Oak section 7 - 10 |
| Soil pH: | 4.3 - 7.2 |
| Mature Height: | 50' - 80' |
| Wildlife Value: | Acorns important source of food for deer, wild turkey, northern bob white, black bear, mallard, and sap sucker. |
| Site Preference: | Thrives on many sites. Tolerant of poorer sites once established. Naturally occurs on low ground but doesn't not tolerate long durations of flooding. |
| Drop Time: | November to December |
| Alias: | “Late Drop” Live Oak |
