Chisos Oak is a tardily deciduous red oak shade tree native to Texas and Mexico. It has a pyramidal form in youth and an open irregular shape at maturity. It normally reaches 40 to 50 feet tall but can grow up to 80 feet in Mexico. It has been grown successfully as far north as Springfield, IL. The glossy green leaves and slender elegant branches make it a nice shade tree. Once established it is drought tolerant. The many varieties of Quercus serve as host plants for the larvae of the Imperial moth ( Eacles imperialis ) as well as for a wide variety of butterflies, such as Banded hairstreak ( Satyrium calanus ) , Edward's hairstreak ( Satyrium edwardsii ) , Gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ) , White-m hairstreak ( Parrhasius malbum ) , Horace's duskywing ( Erynnis horatius ) , and Juvenal's duskywing ( Erynnis juvenalis ) . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems; Susceptible to scales, orangestriped oakworm, buck moth, whitemarked tussock moth, and spider mites, Armillaria, Anthracnose and root rot are occasional problems. Dried fruits dropping on the ground can cause litter issues around hardscaped areas. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and insects.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Irregular; Rounded; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
6-8 inch long and 2-3 inch wide glossy leaves resembling holly are lanceolate to elliptic with pointed, bristle-tipped apex and base acute, obtuse or rounded. Margins have teeth that are bristle-tipped. Dark green on the upper sides and yellow-green underneath. Fall color may have red tones.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Separate male and female flowers on the same tree, inconspicuous. Male flowers in yellow catkins.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Acorn brown and yellowish 1/2" singly or in pairs with the cup covering 1/2 of nut, with nearly flat scales. Matures in 1 year from August to October;
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Green
Bark detail
Bark brown-green, smooth, becoming dark grey and warty
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Twigs are red-brown, shiny and thin becoming glabrous, with rare, inconspicuous lenticels. Terminal buds are red-brown, ovoid to conical.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
TX and Mexico
Wildlife value
Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida. Nuts attract birds and squirrels.
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds