Quercus texana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Fagaceae |
Genus: | Quercus |
Section: | Lobatae |
Species: | Q. texana |
Binomial name | |
Quercus texana Buckley (1860) not Sarg. 1894 nor M.J.Young 1873 |
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Natural range of Quercus texana | |
Synonyms | |
List
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Quercus texana, commonly known as Nuttall's oak, is a fast-growing, large deciduous oak tree.
Quercus texana is native to the south-central United States primarily in the lower Mississippi River Valley in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and western Tennessee. There are additional populations in eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, southeastern Missouri, far western Kentucky, and the southernmost tip of Illinois.
Quercus texana is a tree up to 25 meters (83 feet) tall, with dark brown bark. It has leaves with sharp pointed lobes somewhat similar to those of the Georgia oak (Quercus georgiana) and pin oak (Quercus palustris). It is fast-growing and usually has nice red fall colors, much more reliably so than the more popular pin oak. It is still relatively obscure in the horticultural industry but is slowly gaining popularity due to its fast growth rate, ease of transplanting, good fall colors and ability to grow in wet soils.
This species was for years erroneously called Quercus nuttallii, but it is now known as Quercus texana; this has created much confusion with Texas red oak which was known as Quercus texana but is now known as Quercus buckleyi.