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Texas Red Oak

Quercus buckleyi

Other common name(s):

Buckley Oak, Texas Oak, Spanish Oak, Spotted Oak, Rock Oak

Family:

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Texas Blackland Prairies
Limestone Plains
Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

40
to
50
ft.

Spread

50
to
60
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rocky, Limestone

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Red, Green

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Nuts

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Well adapted to rocky soils. Prune only during hottest and coldest months; paint all pruning wounds immediately after cutting to prevent oak wilt. Prune if needed to raise canopy. Some individual trees loose leaves in early winter, some hold their leaves throughout the winter.

Comments

A superior shade tree known for its red to orange late-fall foliage. Susceptible to oak wilt. Alternative: Shumard Oak but only in well-drained soil. Habitat notes: associated with limestone ridges, slopes and creek bottoms.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Quercus texana

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUBU2. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Quercus+buckleyi&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=12071&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=195168#null, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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