Dwarf Live Oak is a tardily deciduous shrub native to the pine forests and coastal sandhills of the southeastern U.S.A. It spreads by rhizomes and seeds and can form dense colonies in its native habitat. It grows to about 3 feet high with a wider spread and produces acorns like the big trees. Wildlife utilizes this shrub for food and shelter. Dwarf Live Oak prefers a sunny location in well-drained sandy soil. It is drought tolerant but not salt tolerant. This shrub is rarely used in home landscaping but could be utilized as a groundcover for natural landscapes and is used in habitat restorations. 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 ) .
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
Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, 3-5 inches long, and toothless or with irregular teeth or lobes. Lobes, when present, are usually spine-tipped. Base cuneate, apex acute to rounded. Leaves persist through winter then drop off prior to new leaves forming. Undersides light green and glaucous.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower detail
Male catkins are yellow-green.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Pale brown acorn about 2/3" long. Cup has gray scales and covers 1/2 of the nut.
Bark color
Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
Smooth, brown to light gray
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Light gray, smooth twigs in the second year. Small roundish bud, dark brown to grayish-brown scales.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
SE USA
Distribution
AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , TX
Wildlife value
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. Birds and small mammals use the nuts from this tree as a food source.
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds