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Quercus lyrata
Quercus lyrata, the overcup oak, is an oak in the white oak group (Quercus sect. Quercus). The common name, overcup oak, refers to its acorns that are mostly enclosed within the acorn cup. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. There are historical reports of it growing in Iowa, but the species appears to have been extirpated there. It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature. It has an estimated lifespan of 400 years.
Quercus lyrata is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree, growing as tall as 47 meters (154 feet), with an average height of 24 m (79 ft). The trunk averages up to 80 centimetres (31 inches) in diameter, or rarely to 140 cm (55 in). It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature.
Quercus lyrata has simple leaves that are alternately arranged. On average, the leaves are 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) inches long. They are broad, deeply lobed, and somewhat lyre-shaped (lyrate). Leaves have a leathery feel. They are dark green and shiny on the top while the underside is a paler gray-green with fine hairs. In autumn, leaf color varies between red, yellow, and brown. Like other oak trees, the overcup oak has clustered terminal buds.
The bark is light to dark gray in color with irregular bark plates. Its bark plates are deeply ridged and furrowed.
Quercus lyrata has male and female flowers. The male flowers, often brown or yellow in color, form in a drooping, elongated cluster. Female flowers appear as individual reddish spikes with surrounding leaves.
The fruit is an acorn. They are generally oval or oblong in shape, ranging from 13 to 25 millimetres (1⁄2 to 1 in) in length. The acorn contributes to the overcup oak's common name. The acorns are almost entirely covered by their cup, hence the name overcup. The cup has gray, pubescent scales. The acorns also have a unique spongy shell that make them buoyant. The pericarp of overcup oak acorns is unusually large for oaks and makes up 50% of acorn mass. The pericarp only makes up 30% of mass in other oak trees.
Quercus lyrata is monecious, producing female and male flowers. Female and male flowers begin to appear in mid-spring around April or May. The male flowers form in a drooping, elongated cluster. They are often brown or yellow in color. Female flowers appear as individual reddish spikes with surrounding leaves. The flowers are catkins, maturing in about 6–7 months into acorns 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) broad. Acorns are most often distributed by water due to their buoyancy and preferred habitat. Acorns germinate best in moist soils and when covered with leaf litter.
Quercus lyrata was first described in 1788 by Thomas Walter, a British born American botanist. It has two synonyms: Quercus bicolor and Scolodrys lyrata. The word "Quercus" is of Celtic origin and means "beautiful tree." The species name "lyrata" comes from the word lyrate. This refers to its lyre-shaped leaves.
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Quercus lyrata
Quercus lyrata, the overcup oak, is an oak in the white oak group (Quercus sect. Quercus). The common name, overcup oak, refers to its acorns that are mostly enclosed within the acorn cup. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. There are historical reports of it growing in Iowa, but the species appears to have been extirpated there. It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature. It has an estimated lifespan of 400 years.
Quercus lyrata is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree, growing as tall as 47 meters (154 feet), with an average height of 24 m (79 ft). The trunk averages up to 80 centimetres (31 inches) in diameter, or rarely to 140 cm (55 in). It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature.
Quercus lyrata has simple leaves that are alternately arranged. On average, the leaves are 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) inches long. They are broad, deeply lobed, and somewhat lyre-shaped (lyrate). Leaves have a leathery feel. They are dark green and shiny on the top while the underside is a paler gray-green with fine hairs. In autumn, leaf color varies between red, yellow, and brown. Like other oak trees, the overcup oak has clustered terminal buds.
The bark is light to dark gray in color with irregular bark plates. Its bark plates are deeply ridged and furrowed.
Quercus lyrata has male and female flowers. The male flowers, often brown or yellow in color, form in a drooping, elongated cluster. Female flowers appear as individual reddish spikes with surrounding leaves.
The fruit is an acorn. They are generally oval or oblong in shape, ranging from 13 to 25 millimetres (1⁄2 to 1 in) in length. The acorn contributes to the overcup oak's common name. The acorns are almost entirely covered by their cup, hence the name overcup. The cup has gray, pubescent scales. The acorns also have a unique spongy shell that make them buoyant. The pericarp of overcup oak acorns is unusually large for oaks and makes up 50% of acorn mass. The pericarp only makes up 30% of mass in other oak trees.
Quercus lyrata is monecious, producing female and male flowers. Female and male flowers begin to appear in mid-spring around April or May. The male flowers form in a drooping, elongated cluster. They are often brown or yellow in color. Female flowers appear as individual reddish spikes with surrounding leaves. The flowers are catkins, maturing in about 6–7 months into acorns 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) broad. Acorns are most often distributed by water due to their buoyancy and preferred habitat. Acorns germinate best in moist soils and when covered with leaf litter.
Quercus lyrata was first described in 1788 by Thomas Walter, a British born American botanist. It has two synonyms: Quercus bicolor and Scolodrys lyrata. The word "Quercus" is of Celtic origin and means "beautiful tree." The species name "lyrata" comes from the word lyrate. This refers to its lyre-shaped leaves.