Quercus velutina — Black Oak | Native Tennessee Keystone Tree, Live Plant

Black Oak (Quercus velutina) is a native Tennessee keystone tree grown from wild-type Middle Tennessee stock — a true native species from the red oak group, named for its distinctive nearly-black, deeply furrowed bark at maturity. This is a young specimen, well-suited for establishing while its root system is still developing.

Few plants in a Tennessee landscape carry the ecological weight of an oak. Black Oak alone hosts over 500 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars, including the Striped Hairstreak, Banded Hairstreak, Edwards' Hairstreak, White M Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, and both Horace's and Sleepy Duskywings — those caterpillars, in turn, are the primary food source nesting songbirds rely on to raise their young. Its acorns feed wild turkey, deer, squirrels, and grouse, and its canopy provides nesting habitat for screech owls, flycatchers, tanagers, hawks, and vireos.

Black Oak favors dry, upland sites and sandy or rocky soils where many other trees struggle, with deeply lobed leaves that turn orange to red in fall. Planting even one oak does more for local food webs than nearly any other single landscape choice — this is the kind of tree that shapes an ecosystem, not just a yard.

Growing conditions:

• Light: Full sun to part shade
• Water: Medium to dry; high drought tolerance once established
• Soil: Dry, acidic, sandy to rocky soils preferred; avoid heavy, poorly drained clay
• Mature size: Large shade tree, 50–80+ feet at maturity — plant with long-term space in mind

Size: Shipped in a 4" container, young establishing specimen.

Shipping: Orders ship out UPS every Monday.