Taxonomy

Division:

Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants

Family:

Fagaceae

Genus:

Quercus

Species:

Quercus shumardii

USDA Symbol:

QUSH

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Growth Habit:

Shrub , Tree

Height:

2500 cm

Light Requirements:

Full Sun,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

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:

birds, squirrels, deer, wild turkey

Fall Color:

red, orange, bronze

Fire Ecology:

Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire

Fire Notes:

Mature trees have thick bark and can resprout from the root crown following low-intensity fire. Young trees are more fire-sensitive.

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:

rich, well-drained loamy soil

pH:

5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)

Drainage:

tolerates poor drainage

Moisture:

consistently moist

Notes:

prefers bottomland and floodplain areas

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days

Germination Time:

14–60 days

Notes:

Acorns have no deep dormancy; fall-planted acorns germinate in spring. Cold stratification improves uniformity.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI