This is a massive tree. Is it even an Oak?




And these were growing on it -- what are they? Flowers?

I'm pretty sure that isn't an oak...

You could be right. I don't know the trees up here & feel like a fish out of water.

been googling...you all have some weird trees. Closest I could find was a humongous Magnolia...

Now that I know. It's not a magnolia for sure.

found this website but it's tedious going through them one by one...
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/Extens...

I'm checking this one right now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I...

Thanks Lee Anne.

I think it's either a Quercus virginiana or a Quercus geminata. Anyone?

After further research I'm convinced it's Quercus virginiana (Live oak). I'm going to leave this thread open for a while & in case anyone disputes the ID.

It sure looks like Q. virginiana (Live Oak) to me. Lee Anne probably sees many Quercus alba, Q. rubra, Q. macrocarpa and a few others up her way, whose leaves look a lot different from our southern oaks.

Yep, I think that's it especially considering the location inland away from the coast. I saw many Q. geminata down south & the leaves (to me) of it are quite distinctively "boat like" or edges curled under. This, I'm sure is Q. virginiana. It's going in the database.

Cool!
I've read books set in the South and always wondered about the "Live Oaks" they mention. I never once realized it was a real tree, I just thought you all had a lot of dead oaks, so many that it was worth mentioning "there was a huge live oak shading the front yard".

Actually Lee Anne, you are closer to the truth than you think. The name "Live" (I read) was long ago coined to indicate a living oak tree & like so many phrases it became part of the name.
But still ----
And no, we don't really have a lot of dead oaks which makes me wonder why someone called them live in the first place. You never know with us hick southerners!

I've always heard that it got it's name because it's an evergreen oak whereas many other oaks are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter. As I understand it, there are many oaks called "Live" Oaks and then there's the "Southern Live Oak" ... are you even more confused now?

My sister doesn't know a lot about plants and is so accustomed to their tropical oasis of south Florida that the first time she visited us in winter and our Crepe Myrtles were bare she thought we had a bunch of dead trees in our yard!

You're right Lin --- now I remember.....
I was trying to Google back to where I got that from & couldn't find it again & my mind wasn't recalling exactly how it went. Thanks for straightening me out.

Oh, that's funny about the Crepe Myrtles!
Fortunatley I'm not quite that innocent of the trees up here.

Live Oak was my immediate thought upon seeing the foliage.

Then we're all on the same page.