Quercus ilicifolia Wangenheim. Subgenus: Quercus. Section: Lobatae. Subsection: Phellos. Common name: Bear Oak, Scrub Oak. Phenology: Late Apr-Jun; Aug (of the second year). Habitat: Xeric soils in ridges in the Mountains and monadnocks in the upper Piedmont, pine-oak / heath woodlands, shale barrens, other dry and acidic sites. Distribution: Primarily Appalachian: s. ME south to w. VA, w. NC, and e. KY. In NC this scrubby oak is rare and probably declining because of fire suppression (Barden 1985), though recent ice storms have opened the tree canopy at several of its NC sites. The reported occurrence of Q. ilicifolia in KY at the Devil's Teatable, Floyd County (Clark et al. 1997) is now considered a false report based on aberrant material of Quercus velutina (T. Littlefield, pers.comm., 2024).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Can, F, FNA3, G, K4, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, Tat, Va, W, WV; = Quercus nana (Marshall) Sarg. — S13. Basionym: Quercus ilicifolia Wangenh. 1787

Links to other floras: = Quercus ilicifolia - FNA3

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Heliophily ⓘ: 8