Quercus incana is a species of oak known by the common names bluejack oak, upland willow oak, sandjack oak, and cinnamon oak. It is native to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and inland to Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Description
Quercus incana is a tree growing to about 10 meters (33 feet) in height,
with a maximum height around .
The "national champion bluejack" was a specimen from Texas that was 15.5 m (51 ft) tall and 2.1 m (7 ft) in circumference, and had a crown spread of 17 m (56 ft).
The trunk is short and the crooked branches form an open, irregular crown. The platy bark is dark brown or black. The leaves are generally oval and up to 10 centimeters long by 3.5 cm wide. They are glossy green on top and woolly-haired and bluish in color underneath. The name bluejack refers to this bluish and ashy appearance of the leaves.
The
acorn is up to 1.7 cm long by 1.6 cm wide, not counting the cap. The oak reproduces by seed and by resprouting from the rootcrown when the upper parts are removed. It can form
by spreading underground runners.
Ecology
Quercus incana often grows in
Pinus palustris (
Pinus palustris)
, where it shares the
understory with
Quercus laevis (
Q. laevis) and
Aristida stricta (
Aristida stricta). In the
Big Thicket of Texas it codominates with
Quercus stellata (
Q. stellata) and a number of
. The oak can be found on sandy soils. It grows downslope from ridgetops, where the soils are finer and less dry than the tops of the ridges. It is well adapted to
wildfire and grows in habitat where fire is common and often required, such as longleaf pine ecosystems. The oak does not tolerate dense shade and requires fire to remove taller, more robust oaks that would otherwise outcompete it.
The acorns provide food for many animal species including the Sciurus niger, which lives in longleaf pine communities.
Uses
The wood of
Q. incana is hard and strong, but the trees are usually too small to be useful except as fuel or posts.
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