FNA: Quercus geminata vs. Quercus pungens

	Quercus geminata	Quercus pungens
	sand live oak	pungent oak, sandpaper oak
Habit	Trees, sometimes shrubs, subevergreen, trees to 25 m, shrubs sometimes rhizomatous (if spreading rhizomatously, without numerous straight, short, erect stems emerging from gound, or if so, mixed with other larger branches, infertile, and without dimorphic or asymmetric leaf form).	Shrubs or moderate-sized trees, evergreen or subevergreen.
Bark	dark brown or black, scaly.	light brown, papery.
Twigs	yellowish, becoming light gray, 1.5-3 mm diam., tomentulose, glabrate in 2d year.	gray, 1-2 mm diam., short velvety-tomentose, glabrate with age.
Buds	reddish or dark brown, globose or ovoid, 1-2.5(-3) mm; scale margins glabrous or puberulent.	dark red-brown, ca. 2 mm, sparsely pubescent.
Leaves	blade narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, rarely orbiculate, convex-cupped, (10-)35-60(-120) × (7-)10-30(-45) mm, base narrowly cuneate, rarely truncate or rounded, margins strongly revolute, entire, secondary veins 8-10(-12) on each side, apex acute, sometimes obtuse; surfaces abaxially whitish or glaucous, densely covered with minute, appressed, fused-stellate hairs (visible under magnification), and with additional scattered, erect, felty or spreading hairs (sometimes deciduous), or light green and glabrate in shade leaves, adaxially dark or light green, glossy, glabrous or with minute, scattered, stellate hairs, secondary veins moderately to deeply impressed.	blade elliptic to oblong, 10-40(-90) × 10-20(-40) mm, rather thick, leathery, stiff, base rounded or minutely cordate, very rarely cuneate, margins regularly undulate-crisped, not revolute, coarsely toothed or incised with acute teeth or spinose lobes, secondary veins 5-8(-14) on each side, usually branched before passing into teeth, apex acute or obtuse, rarely rounded, spine-tipped; surfaces abaxially canescent, usually densely stellate-pubescent, and mixed with stiff, harsh, stellate hairs, often sandpapery to touch, rarely glabrate, adaxially yellowish green, glossy, usually rough and sandpapery because of minute, persistent hair bases, rarely glabrate.
Acorns	1-3, on peduncle 10-100 mm; cup hemispheric or deeply goblet-shaped, sometimes saucer-shaped, 8-15 mm deep × 5-15 mm wide, base often constricted, scales whitish or grayish, thickened basally, keeled, acute-attenuate, tomentulose, tips reddish, glabrous or puberulent; nut dark brown, ovoid, barrel-shaped, or acute, (13-)15-20(-25) × (8-)9-12(-15) mm, glabrous.	subsessile or on peduncle to 3 mm; cup shallowly to deeply cup-shaped or turbinate, to 8 mm deep × 13 mm wide, covering ca. 1/4 nut, margin thin, scales reddish brown, moderately tuberculate or keeled, densely gray-tomentose; nut light brown, broadly ovoid to subcylindric, to 10 × 10 mm, apex rounded to subacute, glabrous.
Cotyledons	connate.	distinct.

	Quercus geminata	Quercus pungens
Phenology	Flowering spring.	Flowering spring.
Habitat	Coastal plain, open evergreen woodlands and scrublands on deep sandy soils, often with pines	On dry limestone or igneous slopes, usually in oak, pinyon, and juniper woodlands, chaparral, and sometimes descending into desert vegetation
Elevation	0-200 m (0-700 ft)	800-2000 m (2600-6600 ft)
Distribution	AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua and Coahuila) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Quercus geminata occurs in Cuba as putative hybrids. Although some recent authors prefer to treat Quercus geminata as a variety of Q. virginiana, the two species are easily separable and rarely intergrade through most of the broad range in which they are sympatric. Apparently this is primarily because of habitat separation, but additionally Q. geminata flowers much later than Q. virginiana in any given geographic area. At the northern extreme of the range of Q. geminata, apparent intermediates with Q. virginiana are more common, possibly because flowering times of the two species overlap to a greater extent because of slower warming in the spring. Scattered intermediates also occur where the two species are sympatric on sands in coastal Mississippi. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Numerous populations appear to be hybrid swarms between Quercus pungens and Q. vaseyana, which is sometimes treated as a variety of Q. pungens. No other evidence for a close relationship exists for these two species, and such a treatment risks erecting a polyphyletic assemblage. To the west and south within the range of Q. pungens no indication of introgression exists, and the two species are strikingly different and easily separable. I interpret the contact as secondary. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 3.	FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa	Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Quercus	Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Quercus
Sibling taxa	Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. engelmannii, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. john-tuckeri, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. pungens, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii	Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. engelmannii, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. geminata, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. john-tuckeri, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii
Synonyms	Q. virginiana var. geminata	Q. undulata var. pungens
Name authority	Small: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 438. (1897)	Liebmann: Overs. Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Forh. Medlemmers Arbeider 1854: 171. 185: not Q. pungens Gandoger 1890
Web links	Local Web sites: LA Plants WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Quercus pungens

sand live oak

pungent oak, sandpaper oak

Habit

Trees, sometimes shrubs, subevergreen, trees to 25 m, shrubs sometimes rhizomatous (if spreading rhizomatously, without numerous straight, short, erect stems emerging from gound, or if so, mixed with other larger branches, infertile, and without dimorphic or asymmetric leaf form).

Shrubs or moderate-sized trees, evergreen or subevergreen.

Bark

dark brown or black, scaly.

light brown, papery.

Twigs

yellowish, becoming light gray, 1.5-3 mm diam., tomentulose, glabrate in 2d year.

gray, 1-2 mm diam., short velvety-tomentose, glabrate with age.

Buds

reddish or dark brown, globose or ovoid, 1-2.5(-3) mm;

scale margins glabrous or puberulent.

dark red-brown, ca. 2 mm, sparsely pubescent.

Leaves

blade narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, rarely orbiculate, convex-cupped, (10-)35-60(-120) × (7-)10-30(-45) mm, base narrowly cuneate, rarely truncate or rounded, margins strongly revolute, entire, secondary veins 8-10(-12) on each side, apex acute, sometimes obtuse;

surfaces abaxially whitish or glaucous, densely covered with minute, appressed, fused-stellate hairs (visible under magnification), and with additional scattered, erect, felty or spreading hairs (sometimes deciduous), or light green and glabrate in shade leaves, adaxially dark or light green, glossy, glabrous or with minute, scattered, stellate hairs, secondary veins moderately to deeply impressed.

blade elliptic to oblong, 10-40(-90) × 10-20(-40) mm, rather thick, leathery, stiff, base rounded or minutely cordate, very rarely cuneate, margins regularly undulate-crisped, not revolute, coarsely toothed or incised with acute teeth or spinose lobes, secondary veins 5-8(-14) on each side, usually branched before passing into teeth, apex acute or obtuse, rarely rounded, spine-tipped;

surfaces abaxially canescent, usually densely stellate-pubescent, and mixed with stiff, harsh, stellate hairs, often sandpapery to touch, rarely glabrate, adaxially yellowish green, glossy, usually rough and sandpapery because of minute, persistent hair bases, rarely glabrate.

Acorns

1-3, on peduncle 10-100 mm;

cup hemispheric or deeply goblet-shaped, sometimes saucer-shaped, 8-15 mm deep × 5-15 mm wide, base often constricted, scales whitish or grayish, thickened basally, keeled, acute-attenuate, tomentulose, tips reddish, glabrous or puberulent;

nut dark brown, ovoid, barrel-shaped, or acute, (13-)15-20(-25) × (8-)9-12(-15) mm, glabrous.

subsessile or on peduncle to 3 mm;

cup shallowly to deeply cup-shaped or turbinate, to 8 mm deep × 13 mm wide, covering ca. 1/4 nut, margin thin, scales reddish brown, moderately tuberculate or keeled, densely gray-tomentose;

nut light brown, broadly ovoid to subcylindric, to 10 × 10 mm, apex rounded to subacute, glabrous.

Cotyledons

connate.

distinct.

Quercus geminata

Quercus pungens

Phenology

Flowering spring.

Habitat

Coastal plain, open evergreen woodlands and scrublands on deep sandy soils, often with pines

On dry limestone or igneous slopes, usually in oak, pinyon, and juniper woodlands, chaparral, and sometimes descending into desert vegetation

Elevation

0-200 m (0-700 ft)

800-2000 m (2600-6600 ft)

Distribution

AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua and Coahuila)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Quercus geminata occurs in Cuba as putative hybrids.

Although some recent authors prefer to treat Quercus geminata as a variety of Q. virginiana, the two species are easily separable and rarely intergrade through most of the broad range in which they are sympatric. Apparently this is primarily because of habitat separation, but additionally Q. geminata flowers much later than Q. virginiana in any given geographic area. At the northern extreme of the range of Q. geminata, apparent intermediates with Q. virginiana are more common, possibly because flowering times of the two species overlap to a greater extent because of slower warming in the spring. Scattered intermediates also occur where the two species are sympatric on sands in coastal Mississippi.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Numerous populations appear to be hybrid swarms between Quercus pungens and Q. vaseyana, which is sometimes treated as a variety of Q. pungens. No other evidence for a close relationship exists for these two species, and such a treatment risks erecting a polyphyletic assemblage. To the west and south within the range of Q. pungens no indication of introgression exists, and the two species are strikingly different and easily separable. I interpret the contact as secondary.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Quercus

Sibling taxa

Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. engelmannii, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. john-tuckeri, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. pungens, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii

Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. engelmannii, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. geminata, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. john-tuckeri, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii

Synonyms

Q. virginiana var. geminata

Q. undulata var. pungens

Name authority

Small: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 438. (1897)

Liebmann: Overs. Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Forh. Medlemmers Arbeider 1854: 171. 185: not Q. pungens Gandoger 1890

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Quercus geminata

Quercus pungens

Quercus geminata

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