Quercus incana is a species of oak known by the common names bluejack oak, upland willow oak, sandjack oak, and cinnamon oak. It is native to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas.[3]
| Quercus incana | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercus subg. Quercus |
| Section: | Quercus sect. Lobatae |
| Species: | Q. incana
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| Binomial name | |
| Quercus incana Bartram 1791 not Roxb. 1832
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| Natural range | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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Description
editQuercus incana is a tree growing to about 10 meters (33 feet) in height,[4] with a maximum height around 15 m (49 ft).[3] The "national champion bluejack" was a specimen from Texas that was 15.5 m (51 ft) tall and 2.1 m (7 ft) in circumference, and had a crown spread of 17 m (56 ft).[3] The trunk is short and the crooked branches form an open, irregular crown. The platy bark is dark brown or black. The leaves are generally oval and up to 10 centimeters long by 3.5 cm wide. They are glossy green on top and woolly-haired and bluish in color underneath. The name bluejack refers to this bluish and ashy appearance of the leaves.[5] The acorn is up to 1.7 cm long by 1.6 cm wide, not counting the cap. The oak reproduces by seed and by resprouting from the rootcrown when the upper parts are removed. It can form thickets by spreading underground runners.[3]
Ecology
editQuercus incana often grows in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems, where it shares the understory with turkey oak (Q. laevis) and wiregrass (Aristida stricta). In the Big Thicket of Texas it codominates with post oak (Q. stellata) and a number of pines. The oak can be found on sandy soils. It grows downslope from ridgetops, where the soils are finer and less dry than the tops of the ridges. It is well adapted to wildfire and grows in habitat where fire is common and often required, such as longleaf pine ecosystems. The oak does not tolerate dense shade and requires fire to remove taller, more robust oaks that would otherwise outcompete it.[3]
The acorns provide food for many animal species including the Sherman's fox squirrel, which lives in longleaf pine communities.[3]
Uses
editThe wood of Q. incana is hard and strong, but the trees are usually too small to be useful except as fuel or posts.[3]
References
edit- ^ Wenzell, K.; Kenny, L.; Jerome, D. (2017). "Quercus incana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T194175A111265329. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T194175A111265329.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Quercus incana Bartram". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ a b c d e f g Sullivan, Janet (1994). "Quercus incana". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
- ^ Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus incana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ "FOR 248/FR310: Quercus incana, Bluejack Oak". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-03.