Common Name: oak
Type: Tree
Family: Fagaceae
Native Range: Southeastern Europe, northern Turkey
Zone: 6 to 9
Height: 40.00 to 60.00 feet
Spread: 30.00 to 50.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Yellow-green
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Shade Tree, Street Tree
Flower: Insignificant
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Drought, Dry Soil
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 5-8 where it is best grown in rich, moist, well-drained loams in full sun. Grows well in sandy loams. Tolerates some part shade but not full shade.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Quercus virgiliana is a medium sized deciduous oak tree rising to 40-60’ tall. It closely resembles Q. pubescens. It is native to southeastern Europe and northern Turkey. Obovate to oblong-obovate leaves (to 6” long) have 5-7 pairs of obtuse or rounded lobes. Leaves are woolly to sparsely hairy beneath. Ornamentally insignificant monoecious flowers (females in clusters and males in dangling catkins) bloom in April-May. Female flowers are followed by small ovoid acorns (to 1 1/2” diameter) in groups of 2-4. Each acorn is enclosed within a scaly cupule (cup) made up of adpressed, gray-white tomentose scales. Cup typically covers about 2/3 of the acorn. Acorns ripen in September-October of the following year.
Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for oak trees.
Specific epithet honors Latin poet Virgil (70-19 B.C.E.)
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Oaks in general are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots and powdery mildew. Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.
Uses
Shade tree. Woodland gardens.