Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willdenow. Subgenus: Quercus. Section: Lobatae. Subsection: Phellos. Sand Laurel Oak, Darlington Oak. Phen: Mar-Apr; Sep-Nov (of the second year). Hab: 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. Dist: 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, K3, K4, Tx, Va, Hunt (1990); = n/a – G; = Quercus laurifolia Michx. – S, misapplied; > Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd. var. hemisphaerica – K1; > Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd. var. maritima (Michx.) C.H.Mull. – K1; < Quercus laurifolia Michx. – Fl2, RAB, WH3

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Wetland Indicator Status:

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

Heliophily: 6