This 40 to 50-foot-tall deciduous tree creates a dense, rounded canopy of spreading, twisted branches, but is not cultivated in nurseries (Fig. 1). The four to six-inch-long by three to four-inch-wide, shiny, dark green leaves are deeply lobed and appear somewhat in the shape of a Maltese cross. Only rarely do the leaves change to a golden brown in the fall before dropping. The one-half to one-inch-long acorns are quite popular with squirrels and other wildlife. Old trees growing on good soil form a wonderful silhouette in the winter, with large-diameter, curving branches growing from a sinuous trunk.

Scientific name: Quercus stellata
Pronunciation: KWERK-us stell-AY-tuh
Common name(s): Post Oak

Fact sheet: Post Oak

Planted in Nassau County Extension Demonstration Garden

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