On October 17, JLBG is excited to welcome the International Oak Society as part of their seven-day tour of the Carolinas. If you have an Oak fetish, these are your people. The event follows the International Oak Symposium in Knoxville, Tennessee from October 7-10. You’d hope that Raleigh, as the City of Oaks, would have a significant contingent attending.
Did you know that there are 435 species of oaks worldwide on five continents, with 90 of those currently native to North America. JLBG grows 68 oak taxa. Oaks are members of the Fagaceae plant family, which also includes the genus Fagus (beech) and Castanea (chestnut). Oaks are the official tree of the United States, designated as such by Congress in 2004. Despite this designation, only seven states selected oaks as their official state tree. Below is our specimen of one of our favorite oaks, Lithocarpus glaber, in flower this week.
Why is it Lithocarpus and not Quercus?
Thanks.
Lithocarpus flower stalks are upright, while Quercus are pendulous
Tony, of the oaks you grow at JLBG, which native species would you suggest Raleigh homeowners look into for a smaller residential yard? It would be interesting to hear which offer a manageable mature size without giving up the wildlife benefits of planting an oak.
Of the 53 oak species we grow, most of our smaller growing favorites are not North American natives. The two, which are relatively smaller in stature, and fall into that category are Quercus buckleyi and Quercus hypoleucoides. As always, we strongly encourage gardeners not to ethnically profile in selecting plants, no more than they would when selecting their neighbors, their pets, or the food they eat. In our world, there are no cases where ethnic profiling for the purpose of segregation is acceptable. This made up drivel about insects caring about ethnic origin of their food source needs to be finally put to rest.