Photos: © Brian Maynard

Something a little different for February. This small tree or large shrub has alternate simple leaves and clustered end buds. The leaves have 3-7 shallow bristle-tipped lobes and a dense woolly pubescence on the underside. The fruit is a nut. The leaves turn a reddish purple before dropping in the fall. This species is common on recently disturbed sandy or gravelly soils, usually in full sun.

It is…

Botanical Name: Quercus ilicifolia
Common Name: bear or scrub oak
Family: Fagaceae (Beech Family)
Habitat: shrublands or thickets, woodlands

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