Quercus austrina (Bluff Oak)

Quercus austrina, commonly called bluff oak, is a deciduous tree native to the southeastern United States, from Mississippi east to the Atlantic coastal states. It typically reaches forty to sixty feet and develops an oval crown. Male flowers form slender yellow-green catkins, while small female flowers appear on the same tree in spring. Its acorns mature in one growing season, and the cup detaches when the fruit ripens. The species has been used as a shade tree. Photographed in Virginia.