Deciduous tree
General Habitat: Found in poorly drained, seasonally wet Piedmont seepage swamps and on small stream terraces, often with cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda).
General Description: This tree is medium-sized with gray, scaly bark that resembles white oak. The leathery leaves are arranged- alternately on the stem, mostly elliptic, smooth above, covered with tawney star-shaped hairs beneath and are 2-5.5in (5-13cm) long and 1.0-2.0in (1.5-5cm) wide. Occasionally there are some irregular lobes toward the tip of the leaves, but generally lobes are lacking. Male and female flowers are produced on the same tree (monoecious); male flowers appear as long drooping catkins. The fruit is a nut or "acorn", which has a short turban-shaped cup, and is about 0.3in (1cm) long including the cup. Flowering occurs in April with fruiting in the fall of the same year. When suppressed by competitors and stressed by low water levels, it may be affected by chestnut blight. Its status may be changed to Endangered if the disease continues unchecked. Oglethorpe Oak is believed to be extinct in South Carolina.
