Myrtle oak
Leaves and acorns of myrtle oak
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. myrtifolia
Binomial name
Quercus myrtifolia
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Quercus aquatica var. myrtifolia (Willd.) A.DC.
  • Quercus myrtifolia f. ampla Trel.
  • Quercus nitida Raf.
  • Quercus phellos var. arenaria Chapm.
  • Quercus phellos var. myrtifolia (Willd.) Wenz.

Quercus myrtifolia, the myrtle oak,[3] is a North American species of oak. It is native to the southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina). It is often found in coastal areas on sandy soils.[4]

It is an evergreen tree that can reach 12 meters (39 feet) tall, also appearing as a shrub in drier sites. It has leaves with no teeth or lobes, which are hairless on the upperside and also on the underside except along the veins.[5]

Myrtle oak exhibiting a shrubby growth form

Taxonomy

This plant was first identified by Carl Ludwig von Willdenow.[6] Some synonyms for Quercus myrtifolia are Quercus nitida, Quercus aquatica var. myrtifolia, Quercus myrtifolia f. ampla, Quercus phellos var. arenaria, and Quercus phellos var. myrtifolia.[7] The common name is the Myrtle Oak[8]

Description

The Myrtle Oak often grows as a shrub, but can also take the form of a tree. In maturity it grows to 15-20 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide. It is considered a red oak.[9] The leaves are simple alternate.[10] They appear dark green with a yellow-green underside. The leaves have a leathery texture, and an obovate shape.[10] There are small hairs on the underside of the leaves.[11] The acorns are about 1/2" long, and mature in 18 months.[12] Small green flowers bloom in April-May.[9] It has a grey smooth stem that furrows in maturity. Twigs can be reddish brown when they are younger.[10] A commonly associated oak of Q. myrtifolia is Quercus geminata. However, the leaf of Q. geminata is a narrow elliptic shape and has a wrinkled appearance. Quercus myrtifolia also grows better in shaded and upper dune environments.[13]

Distribution

Quercus myrtifolia is present in the souteastern United States.[8] It occurs in sandy soils along coastlines up to 350 ft above sea level.[9] Habitats are dry sandy ridges in scrub oak forests with yellow pines, and dry-site hardwood forests.[14] The most common trees it grows with are Quercus incana, Quercus laevis, Quercus marilandica, Quercus margaretta, Quercus geminata, and Quercus virginiana.[14]

Uses

This plant is mostly used in gardening as a backdrop or accent plant. It is very low maintenance and its evergreen leaves provide cover during the winter.[15]  It may also have medicinal uses. The bark may be used as an antiseptic and hemostatic. It may even be useful for treating tooth aches, gastropathies, burns, and reduce inflammation.[16] These types of medicinal uses are typical of many oak trees.[17]

Climate resiliency

Increased levels of CO2 in the environment of Quercus myrtifolia led to a decrease in leaf area. Additionally, this also led to an increase in sugar and starch content.[18] Higher levels of CO2 led to lower occurrence of leaf asymmetry this can better protect leaves from leaf miners.[19] Prescribed burns may be beneficial to the recruitment of Q. myrtifolia seedlings.[20] It is also possible that mature Myrtle Oaks eventually stop producing acorns making fires important for the growth of new trees.[21] Prescribed burns may be beneficial to the recruitment of Q. myrtifolia seedlings.[20] Quercus myrtifolia displays resiliency to prescribed and lighting caused burns on the Florida Lake Wales Ridge.[22] After palmetto scrub fires Q. myrtifolia managed to reach preburn values within 5 years.[23] Seasonal drought can have a large impact on the Q. myrtifolia. A dry spring season is known to greatly decrease its growth rate.[24] Myrtle Oak is also considered to be extremely wind resistant.[25]

Pests

A variety of insects feed on the Myrtle Oak including oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, and caterpillars.[9] Burrowing beach mice threaten acorns even when protected by cages.[26] Hibiscus mealybugs are also known to host in the tree.[27] Like all oaks, Quercus myrtifolia is susceptible to oak wilt.[9] Seeds with holes in them may be infested with weevils.[28]

Cultivation

The Myrtle Oak can be used as an accent plant in garden settings. Despite this it is rarely available in nurseries. If growing a Myrtle Oak one should plant in full sun and well drained soil. It is very drought resistant.[29]  If it is planted outside it should be protected from pests, and buried at a depth equal to the diameter of the acorn.[30]

Conservation

Myrtle Oak is considered critically imperiled in South Carolina, imperiled in Mississippi, and vulnerable in Georgia.[31]

References

  1. ↑ Wenzell , K.; Kenny, L. (2015). "Quercus myrtifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T194204A2303967. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T194204A2303967.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Quercus myrtifolia Willd. — The Plant List". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  3. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Quercus myrtifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map". bonap.net. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  5. ↑ "Flora of North America, Quercus myrtifolia Willdenow, 1805. Myrtle oak". efloras.org. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  6. ↑ "Quercus myrtifolia | International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  7. ↑ "WFO Plant List | World Flora Online". wfoplantlist.org. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  8. 1 2 "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Quercus myrtifolia - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  10. 1 2 3 Proenza, Lynn; Andreu, Michael (2013-04-30). "Common Woody Plants of Florida Scrub Ecosystems". EDIS. 2013 (4). doi:10.32473/edis-fr373-2012. ISSN 2576-0009.
  11. ↑ Milligan, Lara (2019-07-11). "The Little Oaks - Part I". UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  12. ↑ "SGEB-75-22/SG183: Myrtle Oak, Quercus myrtifolia". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  13. ↑ Rogers, George K. (2023-01-01). "Comparative ecology of two closely associated scrub-dominating oaks in South Florida: Quercus myrtifolia and Q. geminata (Fagaceae)". Flora. 298: 152201. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2022.152201. ISSN 0367-2530.
  14. 1 2 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  15. ↑ "Quercus myrtifolia (Myrtle Oak) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  16. ↑ "Myrtle Oak". gulfspecimen.org. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  17. ↑ Taib, Mehdi; Rezzak, Yassine; Bouyazza, Lahboub; Lyoussi, Badiaa (2020-07-31). "Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Quercus Species". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2020: 1–20. doi:10.1155/2020/1920683. ISSN 1741-427X. PMC 7415107. PMID 32802116.
  18. ↑ academic.oup.com https://academic.oup.com/treephys/article/19/4-5/229/1689873. Retrieved 2023-10-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ Cornelissen, Tatiana; Stiling, Peter; Drake, Bert (January 2004). "Elevated CO 2 decreases leaf fluctuating asymmetry and herbivory by leaf miners on two oak species". Global Change Biology. 10 (1): 27–36. Bibcode:2004GCBio..10...27C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2003.00712.x. ISSN 1354-1013. S2CID 39550563.
  20. 1 2 Ruth, Andrew D.; Miller, Deborah L.; Jose, Shibu; Long, Alan (October 2007). "Effects of Reintroduction of Fire into Fire Suppressed Coastal Scrub and Longleaf Pine Communities Along the Lower Gulf Coastal Plain". Natural Areas Journal. 27 (4): 332–344. doi:10.3375/0885-8608(2007)27[332:eorofi]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0885-8608. S2CID 85753897.
  21. ↑ Abrahamson, Warren G.; Layne, James N. (February 2002). "Relation of ramet size to acorn production in five oak species of xeric upland habitats in south-central Florida". American Journal of Botany. 89 (1): 124–131. doi:10.3732/ajb.89.1.124. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 21669720.
  22. ↑ Abrahamson, Warren G. (January 1984). "Species Responses to Fire on the Florida Lake Wales Ridge". American Journal of Botany. 71 (1): 35–43. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1984.tb12482.x. ISSN 0002-9122.
  23. ↑ Schmalzer, Paul A.; Foster, Tammy E. (2022-07-30). "Effects of repeated fire on Florida oak-saw palmetto scrub". Fire Ecology. 18 (1): 16. Bibcode:2022FiEco..18a..16S. doi:10.1186/s42408-022-00140-9. ISSN 1933-9747.
  24. ↑ Foster, Tammy E. (July 2014). "Timing matters: the seasonal effect of drought on tree growth1". The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. 141 (3): 225–241. doi:10.3159/TORREY-D-13-00060.1. ISSN 1095-5674. S2CID 86780546.
  25. ↑ Duryea, Mary L.; Kampf, Eliana (2007-11-19). "Selecting Southeastern Coastal Plain Tree Species for Wind Resistance". EDIS. 2007 (20). doi:10.32473/edis-fr174-2007. ISSN 2576-0009. S2CID 244025601.
  26. ↑ Tobing, Sarah Lumban; Thetford, Mack; Miller, Deborah L. (July 2018). "Germination and Predation of Quercus geminata and Quercus myrtifolia Acorns on Santa Rosa Island, Florida". Journal of Coastal Research. 34 (4): 900–910. doi:10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-17-00048.1. ISSN 0749-0208. S2CID 133926736.
  27. ↑ academic.oup.com https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/14/1/3/7024607. Retrieved 2023-10-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ "SGEB-75-22/SG183: Myrtle Oak, Quercus myrtifolia". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  29. ↑ "Quercus myrtifolia". UNF Botanical-garden. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  30. ↑ Miller, Debbie L.; Thetford, Mack; Verlinde, Chris M.; Campbell, Gabriel; Smith, Ashlynn (2018-09-28). "Dune Restoration and Enhancement for the Florida Panhandle". EDIS. 2018 (5). doi:10.32473/edis-sg156-2018. ISSN 2576-0009. S2CID 240207960.
  31. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
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