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runner oak, running oak

maple-leaf oak

Habit Shrubs, deciduous or tardily deciduous, to 1 m. Bark gray to dark brown. Trees or shrubs, deciduous, to 15 m. Bark dark gray to almost black, sometimes becoming rough and furrowed.
Twigs

gray-brown to reddish brown, 1-2 mm diam., sparsely to uniformly pubescent.

grayish brown to reddish brown, 1.5-3(-3.5) mm diam., glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Leaves

blade oblong to narrowly obovate, 25-100 × 10-33 mm, base acute to rounded, margins entire, revolute, with 1 apical awn, apex acute or obtuse to rounded;

surfaces abaxially uniformly gray-brown pubescent, rarely glabrate, adaxially somewhat convex, rugose, glabrous or with scattered hairs along midrib.

blade oblate to broadly elliptic, 70-140 × (60-)100-150(-180) mm, base cordate-truncate to obtuse, margins with 5-7(-9) lobes and 11-48 awns, lobes ovate-oblong or markedly distally expanded, the middle or apical pairs often overlapping, apex acute;

surfaces abaxially glabrous or with prominent axillary tufts of tomentum, occasionally with scattered pubescence, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins raised on both surfaces.

Acorns

annual;

cup deeply saucer-shaped to turbinate, 5-12 mm high × 10-15 mm wide, covering 1/3-1/2(-2/3) nut, outer surface pubescent, inner surface densely pubescent, scales rarely involute, often tuberculate, tips tightly appressed, acute;

nut globose to ovoid or broadly oblong, 9.5-15 × 9-12 mm, glabrate, scar diam. 5-8 mm.

biennial;

cup saucer- to cup-shaped, 4-7 mm high × 10-20 mm wide, covering 1/4-1/3 nut, outer surface glabrous or puberulent, inner surface light brown to red-brown, glabrous or with ring of pubescence around scar, scales often with pale margins, tips tightly appressed, obtuse or acute;

nut ovoid to oblong, 10.5-20 × 9-15 mm, glabrous or pubescent, scar diam. 5-9 mm.

Terminal

buds brown to red-brown, ovoid, 2.5-4.5 mm, glabrous or with ciliate scale margins.

buds gray to grayish brown, ovoid or broadly ellipsoid, 3.5-5.5 mm, glabrous.

Quercus pumila

Quercus acerifolia

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Dry sandy soils of savannahs, low ridges and oak-pine scrub, occasionally at margins of poorly drained sites Dry glades, slopes, and ridge tops
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 ft) 500-800 m (1600-2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Although no hybrid combinations have been formally proposed, D. M. Hunt (1989) has reported evidence of hybridization with Quercus hemisphaerica, Q. incana, Q. myrtifolia, and Q. phellos.

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

Of conservation concern.

Quercus acerifolia is known only from four localities in Arkansas: Magazine Mountain, Logan County; Porter Mountain, Polk County; Pryor Mountain, Montgomery County; and Sugarloaf Mountain, Sebastian County (N. Stoynoff and W. J. Hess 1990; G. P. Johnson 1992, 1994). Some specimens suggest hybridization with Q. marilandica and/or Q. velutina, but no hybrids have been reported.

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

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Lobatae Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Lobatae
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Q. shumardii var. acerifolia
Name authority Walter: Fl. Carol., 234. (1788) (E. J. Palmer) Stoynoff & W. J. Hess ex R. J. Jensen: Fl. N. Amer. 3: 465. (1997)
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