Virginia Tech Dendrology

sand post oak Fagaceae Quercus margaretta (Ashe) Small symbol: QUMA13
Leaf: Alternate, simple, 4 to 6 inches long, 3 to 5 lobed (irregular), lobes are rounded and middle pair somewhat square (similar to Quercus stellata, post oak), thick texture, shiny green above, downy and pale below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male flowers are light green slender catkins, 2 to 3 inches long; females are very small, reddish and appear as short spikes, appearing with the leaves.
Fruit: Acorns, 1/2 inch long, light brown, bowl shaped cap has thin scales and covers 1/3 to 1/2 of acorn, mature in one year, ripen in fall.
Twig: Moderate, gray and glabrous to sparsely tomentose, multiple terminal buds are larger than post oak.
Bark: Gray to gray-brown, scaly initially and later developing vertical ridges and becoming darker.
Form: A small tree up to 50 feet with a broad crown and twisted branches.
Looks like: post oak - white oak - overcup oak - bur oak

Additional Range Information: Quercus margaretta is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information