An evergreen southern oak with sprawling horizontal limbs that frame the avenues and bayous of the American South.
Where it grows
Southern live oak hugs the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain from southern Virginia through Texas, with outliers in northern Mexico and Cuba. It loves sandy coastal soils, salt spray, and high water tables, and is iconic of Lowcountry plantations and Louisiana bayous.
How to recognise it
The narrow elliptical leaves are dark green above, silvery beneath, and persist almost year-round, shed only as new leaves emerge in spring. The crown is famously low and wide-spreading, with massive horizontal branches that can dip to the ground. Spanish moss often hangs from the limbs.
Uses
Live oak heartwood is one of the densest and strongest woods in North America. The USS Constitution earned its nickname “Old Ironsides” because British cannonballs bounced off her live oak hull. Today the tree is grown chiefly as a landmark shade tree for parks and avenues.
In culture
The Angel Oak on Johns Island, South Carolina, estimated at 400 to 500 years old, is among the oldest living things east of the Mississippi.
Find more trees by letter
Live Oak starts with L and ends with K. Browse other trees along the same letter.
Trees that contain a letter from "Live Oak":