Live Oaks
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By Carol Surkin
ive oaks stand like gracious protectors as we drive
along Bohicket Road, heading to our homes on
Kiawah Island. They are an emblem of the South
(actually the official tree of the state of Georgia).
The canopy they create along the road is a wonderful
reminder of how special this tree is—the southern live oak
(Quercus virginiana).
Many attributes make the live oak special. This
magnificent shade tree may grow about 40 or 50 feet high
with its broad sweeping crown 80 feet across. In exceptional
cases the crown may reach a width of 120 feet. Its large trunk
extends five or six feet in diameter. It takes 70 years for the
live oak to reach its maximum diameter. Its large branches
tend to sweep outward before they rise.
The Kiawah vicinity is an ideal area for live oaks that
thrive in salty, sandy soil and do not like freezing weather.
Additionally, they can cope well with drought.
Live oaks are important to our Island’s wildlife. Their
elliptical acorns are about an inch long, held to the tree by a
scaly cap. Often when the nuts fall to the ground, the brown
cap clusters stay behind on the trees. On the ground, the
acorns provide food for our ducks, quail, and turkeys, as well
as deer, raccoons, and squirrels.
While live oaks are viewed as “nearly evergreen,” they
do shed some leaves in winter that will be replaced by bright
green leaves in spring. Those new leaves will soon turn the
dark, waxy green of the hardy leaves. There is almost always
a mantle of Spanish moss draped here and there around
the branches.
Through history the live oak has been prized for its strong
and durable wood and has long been used in shipbuilding.
The USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides” from the War of 1812,
with its live oak hull is still docked in Boston Harbor. NK
Photo by Denise Ippolito
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