Flora of the Southeastern United States

Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willdenow. Common name: Sand Laurel Oak, Darlington Oak. Phenology: Mar-Apr; Sep-Nov (of the second year). Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills, dry hammocks, and other dry, sandy soils, a component of maritime forests with Q. virginiana, and widely planted as a street tree in most parts of our region. Distribution: Essentially a Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic: se. VA south to c. FL and west to s. TX, north uncommonly in the interior to nc. AL, n. MS, and s. AR.

ID notes: Often confused with Q. laurifolia (see the key for distinctions). Q. hemisphaerica is the semi-evergreen laurel oak planted widely as a street tree in southern cities, often intermixed with the strictly deciduous Q. phellos.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, F, FNA3, K4, POWO, Tx, Va, Hunt (1990); = n/a — G; = Quercus laurifolia Michx. — S, misapplied; > Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd. var. hemisphaerica — NS; > Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd. var. maritima (Michx.) C.H.Mull. — NS; < Quercus laurifolia Michx. — Fl2, RAB, WH3. Basionym: Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd. 1805

Links to other floras: = Quercus hemisphaerica - FNA3

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU
• Great Plains: FACW

Heliophily ⓘ: 6