Willow Oak
Quercus phellos
- Native to:
- United States
Ian Alexander
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- Quercus phellos
- USDA Symbol:
- QUPH
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- 2500 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr,may
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★★☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Automeris zephyria, Cecropis moth (Automeris cecrops), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Large Tolype (Tolype velleda), Phyllodesma carpinifolia, Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius), Red-spotted Purple (Basilarchia arthemis)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Moths:Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), Coptotriche citrinipennella, Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), Lobel's dagger moth (Acronicta lobeliae), oak blotch miner moth (Tischeria quercitella), Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, squirrels, deer, small mammals
- Fall Color:
- yellow, russet, brown
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from the root crown following fire. Mature trees have moderate fire resistance due to bark thickness.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- moist, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 4.5 - 6.5 (acidic to slightly acidic)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers lowland areas with periodic flooding
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–28 days
- Notes:
- Acorns have no deep dormancy; plant fresh in fall or cold stratify for spring sowing. Acorns are recalcitrant and should not be allowed to dry out.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Seeds are fall sown with a mechanical seeder or by hand into prepared field beds.
Establishment: Seeds are purchased from local collectors within a 50 mile radius of the nursery. The seeds are wild collected during fall months and are kept separated according to site, elevation and source. The seed sources are from south central Missouri.
Source: npn.rngr.net