Myrtle Oak is a small to medium drought-tolerant broadleaf evergreen tree in the Fagaceae (beech) family. It often grows shrubby and while it can reach a height of 15-20 feet high with an 8-10 foot spread it rarely gets taller than 8 feet with a trunk size of 2 to 3 inches in diameter. It is found in dry sandy soils of dunes, sandhills, and ridges with a western range limit of coastal Mississippi. This is a low-maintenance plant that works well in any sunny locations in the landscape as an accent plant or the back of a shrub border. Its evergreen leaves provide winter interest in the landscape.
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 drainage
Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Broad; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-inch long by 1 inch wide dark green leathery evergreen leaves are a lighter green to yellowish bloom underneath. Entire margins are rolled under and there is a bristle at the tip. Leaves persist on the tree until new leaves form in spring.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Male flowers in catkins
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Biennial oval to round dark brown acorn up to 5/8 inch. The cap covers 1/4-1/3 of the nut.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
The bark is gray and smooth, becoming furrowed with age
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Reddish-brown twigs with hairs. Oval buds that narrow to a point with reddish-brown scales
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Southeastern U.S.A.
Distribution
AL , FL , GA , MS , NC , SC
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Nut
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Small Space
Design feature
Accent; Border
Garden tags
#low maintenance #drought tolerant #evergreen tree #small tree #border back #accent #sandy soils tolerant
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Common Insect Pests of Oak in North Carolina; Oak Pest Management Calendar