Index / Search / Quercus nigra
§1 Plant
Quercus nigra L.
vernacular water oak — species · Fagaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Tree
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Fagaceae Dumort.
- Genus
- Quercus
§2a
Native status, by region
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
§2b
County-level range
· 609 counties across 15 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Low
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- High
- Fire
- High
- Salinity
- None
- Anaerobic
- Medium
- CaCO₃
- None
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -20 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 190 min.
- Precipitation
- 35–70 in/yr
- pH range
- 4.8–7.3
- Root depth
- 40 in min.
- Fertility need
- Medium
- Soil texture
- medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Single Stem
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 90 ft
- Height @ 20 y
- 30 ft
- Foliage texture
- Medium
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Dense
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Mid Spring
- Seed abundance
- Medium
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Summer
- Spread rate
- Moderate
- Stratify
- Yes
- Seeds / lb
- 395
- Propagation
- seed, bare root, container
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Lumber
- Yes
- Fuelwood
- High
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 609 counties across 15 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 61 N ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Baldwin 01003
- Barbour 01005
- Bibb 01007
- Blount 01009
- Bullock 01011
- Butler 01013
- Calhoun 01015
- Chambers 01017
- Chilton 01021
- Choctaw 01023
- Clarke 01025
- Clay 01027
- Cleburne 01029
- Coffee 01031
- Colbert 01033
- Conecuh 01035
- Coosa 01037
- Covington 01039
- Crenshaw 01041
- Cullman 01043
- Dale 01045
- Dallas 01047
- DeKalb 01049
- Elmore 01051
- Escambia 01053
- Etowah 01055
- Fayette 01057
- Geneva 01061
- Greene 01063
- Hale 01065
- Henry 01067
- Jackson 01071
- Jefferson 01073
- Lamar 01075
- Lauderdale 01077
- Lawrence 01079
- Lee 01081
- Lowndes 01085
- Madison 01089
- Marengo 01091
- Marion 01093
- Marshall 01095
- Mobile 01097
- Monroe 01099
- Montgomery 01101
- Morgan 01103
- Perry 01105
- Pike 01109
- Randolph 01111
- Russell 01113
- Shelby 01117
- St. Clair 01115
- Sumter 01119
- Talladega 01121
- Tallapoosa 01123
- Tuscaloosa 01125
- Walker 01127
- Washington 01129
- Wilcox 01131
- Winston 01133
Arkansas view state ↗ 62 N ▾
- Arkansas 05001
- Ashley 05003
- Bradley 05011
- Calhoun 05013
- Chicot 05017
- Clark 05019
- Clay 05021
- Cleburne 05023
- Cleveland 05025
- Columbia 05027
- Conway 05029
- Craighead 05031
- Crawford 05033
- Crittenden 05035
- Cross 05037
- Dallas 05039
- Desha 05041
- Drew 05043
- Faulkner 05045
- Franklin 05047
- Garland 05051
- Grant 05053
- Greene 05055
- Hempstead 05057
- Hot Spring 05059
- Howard 05061
- Independence 05063
- Jackson 05067
- Jefferson 05069
- Johnson 05071
- Lafayette 05073
- Lawrence 05075
- Lee 05077
- Lincoln 05079
- Little River 05081
- Logan 05083
- Lonoke 05085
- Miller 05091
- Mississippi 05093
- Monroe 05095
- Montgomery 05097
- Nevada 05099
- Ouachita 05103
- Phillips 05107
- Pike 05109
- Poinsett 05111
- Polk 05113
- Pope 05115
- Prairie 05117
- Pulaski 05119
- Randolph 05121
- Saline 05125
- Scott 05127
- Sebastian 05131
- Sevier 05133
- St. Francis 05123
- Union 05139
- Van Buren 05141
- Washington 05143
- White 05145
- Woodruff 05147
- Yell 05149
Delaware view state ↗ 2 N ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Florida view state ↗ 38 N ▾
- Alachua 12001
- Baker 12003
- Broward 12011
- Citrus 12017
- Clay 12019
- Collier 12021
- Columbia 12023
- Duval 12031
- Escambia 12033
- Flagler 12035
- Franklin 12037
- Gadsden 12039
- Gilchrist 12041
- Hardee 12049
- Hernando 12053
- Indian River 12061
- Jackson 12063
- Lake 12069
- Leon 12073
- Levy 12075
- Liberty 12077
- Madison 12079
- Manatee 12081
- Marion 12083
- Orange 12095
- Osceola 12097
- Palm Beach 12099
- Pasco 12101
- Pinellas 12103
- Polk 12105
- Putnam 12107
- Sarasota 12115
- Seminole 12117
- St. Johns 12109
- Taylor 12123
- Volusia 12127
- Wakulla 12129
- Washington 12133
Georgia view state ↗ 140 N ▾
- Appling 13001
- Atkinson 13003
- Baker 13007
- Baldwin 13009
- Banks 13011
- Barrow 13013
- Bartow 13015
- Ben Hill 13017
- Berrien 13019
- Bibb 13021
- Bleckley 13023
- Brantley 13025
- Brooks 13027
- Bryan 13029
- Bulloch 13031
- Burke 13033
- Calhoun 13037
- Camden 13039
- Candler 13043
- Carroll 13045
- Catoosa 13047
- Charlton 13049
- Chatham 13051
- Chattooga 13055
- Cherokee 13057
- Clarke 13059
- Clay 13061
- Clayton 13063
- Clinch 13065
- Cobb 13067
- Coffee 13069
- Colquitt 13071
- Columbia 13073
- Cook 13075
- Coweta 13077
- Crawford 13079
- Crisp 13081
- Dade 13083
- Dawson 13085
- Decatur 13087
- DeKalb 13089
- Dodge 13091
- Dougherty 13095
- Douglas 13097
- Early 13099
- Echols 13101
- Effingham 13103
- Elbert 13105
- Emanuel 13107
- Evans 13109
- Fayette 13113
- Floyd 13115
- Forsyth 13117
- Franklin 13119
- Fulton 13121
- Gilmer 13123
- Glascock 13125
- Glynn 13127
- Gordon 13129
- Grady 13131
- Greene 13133
- Gwinnett 13135
- Habersham 13137
- Hall 13139
- Hancock 13141
- Haralson 13143
- Harris 13145
- Hart 13147
- Heard 13149
- Henry 13151
- Houston 13153
- Irwin 13155
- Jackson 13157
- Jasper 13159
- Jeff Davis 13161
- Jefferson 13163
- Jenkins 13165
- Johnson 13167
- Jones 13169
- Lamar 13171
- Lanier 13173
- Laurens 13175
- Lee 13177
- Liberty 13179
- Lincoln 13181
- Long 13183
- Lowndes 13185
- Macon 13193
- Madison 13195
- Marion 13197
- McDuffie 13189
- McIntosh 13191
- Meriwether 13199
- Miller 13201
- Mitchell 13205
- Monroe 13207
- Montgomery 13209
- Morgan 13211
- Murray 13213
- Muscogee 13215
- Newton 13217
- Oconee 13219
- Oglethorpe 13221
- Paulding 13223
- Peach 13225
- Polk 13233
- Putnam 13237
- Quitman 13239
- Randolph 13243
- Richmond 13245
- Rockdale 13247
- Schley 13249
- Screven 13251
- Seminole 13253
- Spalding 13255
- Stephens 13257
- Stewart 13259
- Sumter 13261
- Talbot 13263
- Taliaferro 13265
- Tattnall 13267
- Taylor 13269
- Telfair 13271
- Terrell 13273
- Thomas 13275
- Tift 13277
- Treutlen 13283
- Troup 13285
- Twiggs 13289
- Upson 13293
- Walker 13295
- Ware 13299
- Washington 13303
- Wayne 13305
- Webster 13307
- Wheeler 13309
- Wilcox 13315
- Wilkes 13317
- Wilkinson 13319
- Worth 13321
Indiana view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Kentucky view state ↗ 9 N ▾
Louisiana view state ↗ 61 N ▾
- Acadia 22001
- Allen 22003
- Ascension 22005
- Assumption 22007
- Avoyelles 22009
- Beauregard 22011
- Bienville 22013
- Bossier 22015
- Caddo 22017
- Calcasieu 22019
- Caldwell 22021
- Cameron 22023
- Catahoula 22025
- Claiborne 22027
- Concordia 22029
- De Soto 22031
- East Baton Rouge 22033
- East Carroll 22035
- East Feliciana 22037
- Evangeline 22039
- Franklin 22041
- Grant 22043
- Iberia 22045
- Iberville 22047
- Jackson 22049
- Jefferson 22051
- Jefferson Davis 22053
- Lafayette 22055
- LaSalle 22059
- Lincoln 22061
- Livingston 22063
- Madison 22065
- Morehouse 22067
- Natchitoches 22069
- Orleans 22071
- Ouachita 22073
- Pointe Coupee 22077
- Rapides 22079
- Red River 22081
- Richland 22083
- Sabine 22085
- St. Bernard 22087
- St. Charles 22089
- St. Helena 22091
- St. James 22093
- St. John the Baptist 22095
- St. Landry 22097
- St. Martin 22099
- St. Mary 22101
- St. Tammany 22103
- Tangipahoa 22105
- Tensas 22107
- Terrebonne 22109
- Union 22111
- Vermilion 22113
- Vernon 22115
- Washington 22117
- Webster 22119
- West Carroll 22123
- West Feliciana 22125
- Winn 22127
Mississippi view state ↗ 68 N ▾
- Adams 28001
- Alcorn 28003
- Amite 28005
- Attala 28007
- Benton 28009
- Bolivar 28011
- Calhoun 28013
- Carroll 28015
- Chickasaw 28017
- Choctaw 28019
- Claiborne 28021
- Copiah 28029
- Covington 28031
- DeSoto 28033
- Forrest 28035
- Franklin 28037
- George 28039
- Greene 28041
- Grenada 28043
- Hancock 28045
- Harrison 28047
- Hinds 28049
- Holmes 28051
- Itawamba 28057
- Jackson 28059
- Jasper 28061
- Jefferson 28063
- Jefferson Davis 28065
- Jones 28067
- Kemper 28069
- Lafayette 28071
- Lamar 28073
- Lauderdale 28075
- Lawrence 28077
- Lee 28081
- Leflore 28083
- Lincoln 28085
- Madison 28089
- Marion 28091
- Monroe 28095
- Montgomery 28097
- Neshoba 28099
- Newton 28101
- Noxubee 28103
- Panola 28107
- Pearl River 28109
- Perry 28111
- Pike 28113
- Pontotoc 28115
- Prentiss 28117
- Rankin 28121
- Scott 28123
- Sharkey 28125
- Simpson 28127
- Smith 28129
- Stone 28131
- Tallahatchie 28135
- Tishomingo 28141
- Union 28145
- Walthall 28147
- Warren 28149
- Washington 28151
- Wayne 28153
- Webster 28155
- Wilkinson 28157
- Winston 28159
- Yalobusha 28161
- Yazoo 28163
New Jersey view state ↗ 2 N ▾
North Carolina view state ↗ 56 N ▾
- Anson 37007
- Bertie 37015
- Bladen 37017
- Brunswick 37019
- Burke 37023
- Camden 37029
- Carteret 37031
- Catawba 37035
- Chatham 37037
- Cherokee 37039
- Chowan 37041
- Cleveland 37045
- Columbus 37047
- Craven 37049
- Cumberland 37051
- Currituck 37053
- Dare 37055
- Duplin 37061
- Edgecombe 37065
- Franklin 37069
- Gaston 37071
- Gates 37073
- Granville 37077
- Greene 37079
- Halifax 37083
- Harnett 37085
- Hertford 37091
- Hoke 37093
- Hyde 37095
- Iredell 37097
- Johnston 37101
- Jones 37103
- Lee 37105
- Lenoir 37107
- Martin 37117
- Mecklenburg 37119
- Moore 37125
- Nash 37127
- New Hanover 37129
- Northampton 37131
- Onslow 37133
- Orange 37135
- Pasquotank 37139
- Pender 37141
- Perquimans 37143
- Pitt 37147
- Randolph 37151
- Richmond 37153
- Robeson 37155
- Sampson 37163
- Scotland 37165
- Union 37179
- Wake 37183
- Warren 37185
- Wayne 37191
- Wilson 37195
South Carolina view state ↗ 45 N ▾
- Abbeville 45001
- Aiken 45003
- Allendale 45005
- Anderson 45007
- Bamberg 45009
- Barnwell 45011
- Beaufort 45013
- Berkeley 45015
- Calhoun 45017
- Charleston 45019
- Cherokee 45021
- Chester 45023
- Chesterfield 45025
- Clarendon 45027
- Colleton 45029
- Darlington 45031
- Dillon 45033
- Dorchester 45035
- Edgefield 45037
- Fairfield 45039
- Florence 45041
- Georgetown 45043
- Greenville 45045
- Greenwood 45047
- Hampton 45049
- Horry 45051
- Jasper 45053
- Kershaw 45055
- Lancaster 45057
- Laurens 45059
- Lee 45061
- Lexington 45063
- Marlboro 45069
- McCormick 45065
- Newberry 45071
- Oconee 45073
- Orangeburg 45075
- Pickens 45077
- Richland 45079
- Saluda 45081
- Spartanburg 45083
- Sumter 45085
- Union 45087
- Williamsburg 45089
- York 45091
Tennessee view state ↗ 29 N ▾
- Benton 47005
- Carroll 47017
- Chester 47023
- Coffee 47031
- Decatur 47039
- Dyer 47045
- Fayette 47047
- Franklin 47051
- Gibson 47053
- Grundy 47061
- Hamilton 47065
- Hardeman 47069
- Hardin 47071
- Haywood 47075
- Henry 47079
- Jackson 47087
- Lauderdale 47097
- Lawrence 47099
- Lincoln 47103
- Madison 47113
- Marion 47115
- Obion 47131
- Perry 47135
- Sequatchie 47153
- Shelby 47157
- Stewart 47161
- Tipton 47167
- Warren 47177
- Weakley 47183
Virginia view state ↗ 34 N ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Amelia 51007
- Brunswick 51025
- Caroline 51033
- Charles City 51036
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Gloucester 51073
- Greensville 51081
- Hanover 51085
- Henrico 51087
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- King and Queen 51097
- King William 51101
- Lancaster 51103
- Lunenburg 51111
- Mathews 51115
- Middlesex 51119
- New Kent 51127
- Newport News (city) 51700
- Northampton 51131
- Northumberland 51133
- Nottoway 51135
- Prince George 51149
- Southampton 51175
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- York 51199
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/QUNI ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/2879328 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T07:25:30Z