Sand Live Oak is a small, native, evergreen tree that also grows as a shrub and is found along the coastal plain of SE North America. It can be found in the sandy soils of coastal dunes, hardwood forests, mixed pine uplands, scrub, and sandhills. Sand Live Oak grows best in partial shade to full sun and generally reaches heights of up to 50 feet but can grow taller. It is salt and drought tolerant but doesn't tolerate flooding with salty or brackish water. Use this tree as a specimen or accent tree. They can form colonies so they can help stabilize a bank or slope. After a fire, it will regrow completely since 80% of its biomass is underground. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth ( Eacles imperialis ) , as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak ( Satyrium calanus ) , Edward's hairstreak ( Satyrium edwardsii ) , Gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ) , White-m hairstreak ( Parrhasius malbum ) , Horace's duskywing ( Erynnis horatius ) , and Juvenalis duskywing ( Erynnis juvenalis ) . VIDEO: Part of the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet | Very Dry
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Irregular; Open; Rounded
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy; Leathery
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The thick, leathery leaves range from 1½ to 2½ inches long. They have coarse veins that are deeply pressed into the leaf surface and smooth margins that are inwardly curling. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and the underside is a dull grey to almost whitish color with sparse to copious pubescence or hairs.
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Separate male and female flowers.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1 inch long acorns are dark brown and egg-shaped with 1/3 of the nut enclosed in a scaly, light grey cup. Appear in groups of 1 to 3 annually in the fall.
Bark color
Black; Dark Brown
Bark detail
The bark is rough to the touch, dark brown, and deeply furrowed.
Stem color
Cream/Tan; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Light tan to light gray pubescent twigs becoming smooth the second year.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeast US
Distribution
AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , SC. Found from the coastal plains of Louisiana to NC, and south through Florida.
Wildlife value
Acorns are an important food source for mammals. Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida.