Overcup Oak

Quercus lyrata

Overcup Oak

Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Fagaceae
Genus:
Quercus
Species:
Quercus lyrata

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Tree
Height:
More than 40 ft
Light Requirements:
Part Shade
Drought Tolerance:
High
Bloom Months:
mar, apr, may
Bloom Colors:
Yellow

Native Range

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:
★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Pink-striped oakworm moth (Anisota virginiensis), Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
moist, nutrient-rich, alluvial soil
pH:
4.5 - 6.5 (acidic to slightly acidic)
Drainage:
tolerates poor drainage
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
commonly found in floodplains and bottomlands

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Seeds are soaked in clean water for 24 hours, then placed into damp peat moss and subjected to cold, moist stratification for 150 to 170 days at 36°F. Seeds are periodically checked during stratification to ensure that seeds and stratification medium are evenly moist and to check for radicle emergence.

Establishment: Seeds are typically collected from local sources within a 50 mile radius of the nursery during fall months. The Overcup oak is found in temperate deciduous forests of the United States, particularly on the Coastal Plain from southern Virginia to Georgia and northwestern Florida; west to eastern Texas; north in the Mississippi Valley to extreme southeastern Oklahoma, southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana, and western Kentucky.

Source: npn.rngr.net