Laurel Oak Tree | Quercus Laurifolia Swamp Oak | Live Plants | Semi-Evergreen Deciduous Shade Tree

A large, fast-growing, shade tree, laurel oak is native to the southeastern United States and noted for its dense, oval canopy. Quercus laurifolia has been described as tolerant of wet sites. The smooth, narrow leaves are shiny on both sides and the round acorns are set 1/4 or less of their height into thin, saucer-like cups. They normally drop brown in the fall and winter. The laurel oak is probably one of the most cold-hardy evergreen oaks. Trees growing in Cincinnati indicate the laurel oak may be hardy even further north than previously thought tolerating temperatures lower than −29 °C (−20 °F) and surviving into zone 5. In Cincinnati trees have been observed staying green well into December. The laurel oak has dark green leaves, often undulating and sometimes with a few shallow lobes. Leaves begin falling in the fall replaced by florescent green leaves in the spring. Quercus laurifolia, also known as laurel oak or diamond leaf oak, is a fast-growing, acorn-producing deciduous or semi-evergreen tree with a dense canopy. The tree gains its common name from its shiny, narrow leaves, which resemble a laurel shrub.