Turkey Oak, Often Overlooked and Mistreated

The oaks are trees of history and beauty and there are over 40 species listed as being native to the northern Gulf Coast. Most of the praise of the oaks concentrates on only a few, such as the Live Oak and White Oak. As beautiful as these species are, there are many other oaks that deserve some recognition.

The Turkey Oak, for example, is near the bottom of most people’s list of preferences. It is one of those “taken for granted” species because it is so commonly found along the Gulf Coast.

Turkey Oak, known botanically as Quercus laevis, is often a small, scrubby, deciduous tree. Though overlooked as a tree of landscape importance, it has many interesting and desirable characteristics.

It is abundant on dry sandy ridges, bluffs and hammocks in the coastal region. This also happens to be where most of our current residential and commercial development is occurring.

The leaves of this plant have several interesting characteristics. They are about 5 inches long and 5 inches wide, deeply lobed, and are often described as being shaped like a turkey’s foot.

Turkey oak provides more consistent and dependable fall color than any other oak species in our area. During October and November the leaves turn bright red and this color lasts for several weeks. They later turn brown and gradually drop.

The leaf orientation of the turkey oak is the plant’s most unusual characteristic. Upon close examination one finds that the leaf stem is twisted so that the leaf blades are oriented vertically, rather than on a horizontal plane, like most leaves. This characteristic is not shared by other kinds of oaks having similarly lobed leaves.

Why would an oaks species have leaves arranged vertically? Some experts believe that such an orientation reduces the amount of moisture loss from these large leaves and allows the turkey oak to grow on droughty sites. Such a perception, or possible fact, only adds to the interesting study of native plants and their ability to adapt to specific environmental conditions.

Turkey oak is an important part of the natural environment in that it adds to the diversity of native plant stands. It is often found in association with blackberry, sparkleberry, longleaf pine, sand live oak and sassafras, contributing greatly to the total wildlife habitat. The acorns have been identified as a major food source for wild turkey, bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer and the black bear.

Preserve and protect this important Florida native tree by trying not to “domesticate” it. During development, stay as far away from trees as possible, and avoid grading, filling or ditching near them. The roots are shallow and reach far beyond the canopy spread. Consequently, this species is not forgiving of drastic grade changes made near the root system.

Consider saving an entire group of trees, rather than singling out one specimen and removing others around it. Clearing around a single tree often results in its death because of root damage and due to a sudden change in the above ground environment.

Try to keep conditions as natural as possible in areas where turkey oaks are growing. Avoid excessive fertilization and watering, since they are not adapted to typical landscape maintenance practices. In short, the more that we leave them alone, the better off they are!

Question of the Week: Some of the ends of my pecan branches are covered with webs, and there appear to be worms inside. What is this and what should I do?

Answer: The webbing is due to an infestation by fall webworms. They are common pests of pecan, native persimmon, hickory and are known to feed on about 80 other species of trees.

This late in the season the amount of damage is not as serious as it looks. In most cases, treatment is not required. Control with a properly labeled insecticide is not difficult if the product reaches the caterpillars. The webbing sheds water, or in this case, the spray solution. For good control the webbing must be broken physically or with enough spray force to contact the caterpillars before control can be obtained.