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Quercus chapmanii Sarg.
Chapman oak
Fagaceae (Beech Family)
USDA Symbol: QUCH
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.
Deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub, which grows to 10 feet (3 m), often rhizomatous, or a small tree to 45 feet (13.7 m). Bark grayish-brown with irregular scales. Twigs are grayish-tan to yellowish-tan with patches of fine tomentum, terminal buds are reddish-brown with smooth distal scales. Leaves small smooth petiole 1/8 inch (3 mm) long; leaves are obovate, 1 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches (38 - 89 mm) long and 3/4 - 1 1/2 inches (19 - 38 mm) wide, margins are minutely wavy and many have shallow irregular lobes toward tip of leaf, apex rounded, base cuneate; upper surface is glossy dark green, and light gray or yellow with yellowish pubescence beneath.
Named for Alvan Wenworth Chapman (1809-99), physician and botanist of Apalachicola, Florida, who first distinguished this oak in his Flora of the Southern United States. Chapman oak is abundant along the west coast of Florida from Tampa Bay north to Panama City. The largest known specimen grows in the Ocala National Forest east of Ocala, Florida.
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Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Shrub , Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous , Semi-evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Obovate
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Leaf Margin: Lobed , Undulate
Leaf Base: Cuneate
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Inflorescence: Catkin
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: Grows to 10 feet (3 m).
Leaf: Upper surface is glossy dark green, and light gray or yellow with yellowish pubescence beneath.
Fruit: Acorns annual; 1 - 2 acorns on a peduncle up to 1/2 inch (13 mm) in length; cup has gray tomentum on scales, covering 1/3 - 1/2 the nut; light brown nut is oval with a rounded apex, and may have pubescence.
Size Class: 6-12 ft.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: GreenBloom Time: Mar , Apr , May
Distribution
USA: AL , FL , GA , SCNative Distribution: Extreme S. South Carolina and SE. Georgia to S. and NW. Florida and S. Alabama; near sea level.
Native Habitat: Sandy hills, ridges and coastal dunes; with Sand Pine and evergreen oaks. On xerophytic sandy soils of open pine forest and oak scrublands on sand ridges and coastal dunes in the lower coastal plain near sea level.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)
Bibliography
Bibref 1134 - Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (2003) Stein, John D. and Denise BinionSearch More Titles in Bibliography
Recommended Species Lists
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View Recommended Species pageAdditional resources
USDA: Find Quercus chapmanii in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Quercus chapmanii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Quercus chapmanii
Metadata
Record Modified: 2011-09-25Research By: TWC Staff
