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Plant · P-988
Post Oak
Quercus stellata
Post oak is a slow-growing, long-lived deciduous oak of the white oak group, native to open woodlands, rocky ridges and dry uplands across the southeastern and south-central United States, reaching a broad, rounded crown of stiff, leathery, cross-shaped leaves that turn yellow to brown in autumn. Its acorns feed a wide range of wildlife, and the wood is exceptionally heavy, hard and durable, long used for fence posts, framing and fuel. It tolerates drought and poor, shallow, rocky soil far better than most oaks, but grows slowly and resents having its roots disturbed once established.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 5–9
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Moderate
Vertical layer
Canopy- Soil pH
- 4.8–8
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 35–50 ft
- Mature spread
- 35–50 ft
- Plant spacing
- 30–60 ft
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
Alligator Juniper
Juniperus deppeana
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Canopy · USDA 6–9
Almond
Prunus amygdalus
Almond flowers earlier than almost any other cultivated tree, which is its biggest weakness as much as its gift to early pollinators - a warm…
Canopy · USDA 7–9
American Basswood
Tilia americana
American Basswood is famous for the bees - mature trees hum audibly for several feet around when they bloom in early summer, giving one of…
Canopy · USDA 3–8
American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
American chestnut once carried the sweetest nut of any chestnut species and covered more than 200 million acres of eastern forest, but an…
Canopy · USDA 5–8
American Elm
Ulmus americana
American Elm is a native stream-bank tree that grows into a 60 to 80 foot vase-shaped shade crown and, once mature, becomes one of the…
Canopy · USDA 3–9
American Holly
Ilex opaca
American holly is a slow-growing evergreen understory tree with spiny, leathery leaves and bright red winter berries that at least eighteen…
Canopy · USDA 5–9
The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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