{"product_id":"quercus-velutina-black-oak-native-tennessee-keystone-tree-live-plant","title":"Quercus velutina — Black Oak | Native Tennessee Keystone Tree, Live Plant","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eBlack 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eFew 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eBlack 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing conditions:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eLight: Full sun to part shade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eWater: Medium to dry; high drought tolerance once established\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eSoil: Dry, acidic, sandy to rocky soils preferred; avoid heavy, poorly drained clay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eMature size: Large shade tree, 50–80+ feet at maturity — plant with long-term space in mind\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shipped in a 4\" container, young establishing specimen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping:\u003c\/strong\u003e Orders ship out UPS every Monday.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Apothecary","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44083858997314,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/8655\/8274\/files\/alksndra-bjIeFsqbjQ4-unsplash.jpg?v=1784089247","url":"https:\/\/darkapothecary.myshopify.com\/products\/quercus-velutina-black-oak-native-tennessee-keystone-tree-live-plant","provider":"Dark Apothecary","version":"1.0","type":"link"}