Quercus lyrata


Quercus lyrata, the overcup oak, is an oak in the white oak group. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. There are historical reports of it growing in Iowa, but the species appears to have been extirpated there.

Description

Quercus lyrata is a medium-sized deciduous tree, growing to tall, with a trunk up to in diameter, or rarely to.
The leaves are long, or rarely to, and broad, deeply lobed, often somewhat lyre-shaped, dark green above, paler and often finely hairy beneath.
The flowers are catkins, produced in the spring and maturing in about 6–7 months into acorns long and broad, largely enclosed by the cupule.
The common name comes from the acorns being largely enclosed in the cup; the scientific name comes from the lyrate leaves.
The wood is valuable, similar to that of other white oaks, and used for the same purposes.