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Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Quercus ilicifolia

Quercus ilicifolia

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content. Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Quercus ilicifolia is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant. It grows best in areas with hot summers. In areas with cooler summers it does not fruit well. Annual rainfall is around 1,100 - 1,200mm[2, 3]. Requires a sunny position[4]. Requires a well-drained soil[5]. It is found in the wild on sandy, rocky, well-drained, nutrient-poor soils[, usually on soils with a low pH1050]. Quercus ilicifolia is a thicket-forming plant, forming a cluster of stems from a spreading rootstock. Individual stems are short-lived and grow slowly with a typical life span of 20 - 30 years; however, the root system is reportedly long lived and may support several generations of these short-lived stems[5]. Mature seed production requires 3 growing seasons. Flower buds are produced in the first growing season, flowering occurs in the second growing season with immature acorns being produced in the autumn of the second season, but they do not mature until the third growing season[5]. The plant resprouts freely from the base if it is cut down or top-killed by fire[5]. Quercus ilicifolia reportedly hybridizes with Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus imbricaria, Quercus marilandica, Quercus phellos, Quercus rubra, and Quercus velutina[6]. The acorns are an important food source for black bears, turkey, grouse and other species of wildlife[4]. Quercus ilicifolia is a crucial component of northeastern sand barren communities, particularly scrub oak-heath shrublands and pitch pine-scrub oak woodlands, which are rare community types facing major declines due to fire suppression and development of land. These sand barren communities provide important habitat for numerous wildlife species, notably rare species of birds and moths in southeastern Massachusetts[4] Quercus ilicifolia can be found for sale in commercial nurseries for cultivation as an ornamental plant[4].

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[2]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Quercus+ilicifolia>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  5. [5]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
  6. [6]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  7. [7]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  8. [8]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  9. [9]Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Some Quercus Species Growing in Turkey — Didem Söhretoğlu; Melike Ekizoğlu; Ekrem Kiliç; M. Koray Sak · 2007 ↩︎
  10. [10]Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. — Riotte. L. · Garden Way, Vermont, USA. · 1978 · ISBN 0-88266-064-0 ↩︎Fairly good.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎