Tree of the Week: Nuttall Oak (Quercus texana)

Our Nuttall oak (Quercus texana syn. Q. nuttallii) has a recorded history of high acorn production. You can read about it on an old blog post, found here. This year, acorn watch 2022, we see, especially by comparison, an exceptionally high number of Nuttall oak acorns. This specimen is especially valuable as germplasm because it is a local genotype.

 

This Nuttall oak grows in a low spot, at the bottom of a gradual slope, near the campus Fitness Center. At four feet off the ground, the thick trunk has a circumference of sixty-two inches. As we can see, all of the lower branches have been removed.

 

 

This tree grows at the conjunction of two sidewalks. Because of its proximity to foot traffic, this Nuttall oak has endured much pruning over the years. The large circle in the center of the trunk is where a large limb was removed.

 

Large, circular scars can be found further up the trunk as well.

 

 

We see smaller circles, too.

 

 

Note the prominent surface roots, reminiscent of live oaks. Keep this one away from important sub-surface infrastructure.

 

 

Note the serpentine curling.

 

These are quite handsome. Don't you think a bonsai enthusiast would enjoy it?

 

 

 

Although mostly obscured by the thick foliage, numerous clusters of developing acorns can be found if you go looking for them. These acorns were photographed without the aid of a ladder―although the lower branches have been removed from the trunk, the upper branches droop down.

 

More cap than corn at this stage.

 

Here we can appreciate the two different sizes of acorns. There are two different sizes because they take nearly two years to develop. The larger acorns will ripen this fall/winter, while the smaller ones will ripen in 2023

 

 

Thankfully for the purposes of our acorn project, two twigs needed to be trimmed from the drooping branches. They incidentally had several acorns attached to them.

 

 

Here we see mostly the larger but still immature acorns. One smaller acorn, on the middle of the bottom row, will ripen in 2023 if it hangs on until then.

 

 

Tree of the Week: Nuttall Oak (Quercus texana)

Our tree of the week is a large, healthy, maturing Nuttall oak (Quercus texana). This tree was grown especially for the arboretum collection by Professor Ed Leuck. In 1995, he collected seeds from a local specimen, found in Betty Virginia Park. In October of the following year, Professor Leuck planted a seedling in the grounds of the arboretum. Today, the tree is growing at the edge of the Fitness Center Lawn. You wouldn't know by looking at it, but in March 1999 a mischievous (or even vandalous) person broke the top of the tree.

The Nuttall oak, with its rounded crown, is pictured center, with Rotary Hall in the background.

We are approaching mid-November and the leaves of the Nuttall Oak are still mostly green with only a little red and orange on the tips. Last year, it wasn't until the beginning of December that this particular tree stunned us with its exuberant orange-red leaves. That display is documented here.

Leaves and buds alternate along the branchlet.

Terminal buds of the Nuttall Oak

Nuttall oaks are in the red-oak group. Leaves are lobed and pointy. This leaf measures about 5 inches in length.

Light-green underneath

This 22-year-old Nuttall oak is in production mode.

Nuttall acorn detail

Plentiful acorns on the Fitness Center lawn.

Grouping of Nuttall acorns

Nuttall acorns, with cap, measure approximately 1 inch in length.

This is a Nuttall acorn pictured with a Shumard acorn. They are similar in appearance. Check out the Shumard acorns here.

Shumard acorns (left) and Nuttall acorns (right)

Three Shumard acorns are pictured left. They are larger and boxier than the three Nuttall acorns pictured right.

You can see older pictures of this tree here.
Another Nuttall Oak was previously featured on the arboretum blog. You can find that post here.

Autumn Landscape

Below are a few pictures illustrating the changing autumn landscape. For descriptions of the first two pictures, check out this older post.

September 20, 2017

November 11, 2017

December 3, 2017 : The Nuttall oak (Quercus texana) has turned red-orange and the rattan-vine (Berchemia scandens) climbing on the magnolia is now turning colors, too. The Carolina ash (Fraxinus caroliniana) has dropped its orange leaves, revealing Mickle Hall to the left of the magnolia. The sweet gum (Liquidambar styracilflua) still has its leaves, but they are less noticeable now, as they blend in with the Nuttall oak.

Tree of the Week: Nuttall Oak (Quercus texana)

It's been another hot week in the arboretum, with less rain, but plenty of humidity. We are still very much interested in staying in the shade, and the Nuttall oak (Quercus texana aka Quercus nuttallii) is accommodating.The individual under consideration this week is growing in a particularly shady spot, at the top of the arboretum drainage system. There are a number of trees in this area competing for resources, with this Nuttall oak being one of the biggest. Other top players include Quercus nigra, Taxodium distichum, and Fraxinus profunda.

All photos below are of one individual Nuttall oak, purchased in 1994 from Home Depot. It was bought as a large tree and planted during the fall semester by Professor Ed Leuck's botany students. It's growing near the bottom of a clay slope, so it receives a lot of runoff when we have heavy rains. Don't let the Latin name mislead you: Quercus texana is largely a Mississippi embayment tree, venturing only a little way into east Texas.
 

The Nuttall oak is pictured in the center. This is a very shady spot; only a little sunlight reaches the ground.

This tree is at minimum 24 years of age, and most likely closer to 30. The Student Union Building is pictured in the background. 

Looking up, we can see the sun, but as evidenced by the pictures above, not much sun is hitting the ground.

Right now, in the heat of summer, the leaves are a dark green, but we expect them to turn red in the fall. 

The underside of the leaves is mostly smooth, with only a few small reddish-orange tufts.

A praying mantis was spotted on a branch.

The mantis was there to eat whoever was eating the leaves.

There are a few acorns developing, still green. We will look for them to turn brown this fall and see how big they get.  The acorns of the Nuttall oak help us distinguish it from the Shumard oak and the pin oak.

Acorns take almost two years to ripen. Here we have two distinct stages of development.

Furrowed bark of mature Nuttall oak

Here you can see pictures of another Nuttall Oak in the arboretum collection. 


For more information about Quercus texana consult the following:
USDA Forest Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
University of Arkansas

Quercus texana