Burlive Oak Acorns

currently unavailable Oak for Hot, Dry and Cold Areas-Tree Like Habit-Thick Green Leaves

This strain has been used in parts of Nebraska were few trees can grow. Burlive oak can tolerate both heat and drought and grow in unforgiving soils. If you ever traveled to an area with few trees and asked “why?”, the answer is not necessarily what is lacking in the environment but what could be added. The shrub live oak background of this cross is part of the southwestern desert life so roots can penetrate deeply into the soil or rock. Bur oak provides a more vigorous tree that is also more adaptable to midwestern and northeastern condtions.

Like any cultivated crop seed sources play a role in starting and then maintaining seed selections. With oaks that meant trying different hybrids and then wait a couple of decades to finish the research. At my farm, I used several burlive oak crosses that I purchased from people who sent me many pounds of acorns of which I grew and sold trees in my nursery. These often came from Utah, California and Texas. Each seed source brought in new characteristics that I had never seen in oaks including both large and small leaves as well as strong apical growth habit with dense branching. Some of the acorns also were naturally low in tannins too. Ultimately, I found out that many of these trees were just not adapted to Michigan. The winters are too wet here. Even in the summer the clouds and humidity seemed to play a role in naturally selecting the strongest plants. In some there was major loss and others none. I kept the healthiest trees and found these to be the best in cold and moist climates.  Burlive oaks now can be grown in colder wet areas as well as dry areas. The thick green leaves strong growth habit and deep roots make it one of the most adaptable oaks to a wide range of conditions.

This oak would make for a excellent tree cover as well as provide timber quality wood. The acorns are produced in dense clusters and can be used for acorn flour. More selection could be done to improve acorn yield as well as develop even faster growing hybrids within this group. Selections will be named from the Cottam and Marquez hybrids and will be listed separately on the website as images of the acorns are produced in the following seasons. The Marquez selections were hybrids specific to live oak, Quercus virginiana as both the parent tree and the pollen tree. Some are more evergreen meaning they are trees green in color even in December.