Laurel Oak ( Quercus laurifolia ) The medium-sized laurel oak tree usually reaches heights of 50 to 60 feet, though trees as tall as 100 feet have been recorded. Diameters of 3 to 4 feet are normal.

Slender branches form a broad, round-topped, dense crown. Laurel oaks are found scattered on sandy soils near streams and swamps from the coastal plain of North Carolina to central Florida. Leaves are simple and deciduous, although they remain on the tree through much of the winter, generally falling in early spring. The tree will remain bare of leaves for several weeks before the new oblong leaves appear. They are 2 to 4 inches long at maturity, and 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Margins are either entire or irregularly lobed. Laurel oak leaves are lustrous green above and pale below with a yellow mid-rib.

Acorns are generally solitary, commonly subsessile and egg-shaped. The 1/2-inch-long nut is brownish-black, covered by a thin, saucer-shaped cap with reddish-brown pubescent scales. Twigs are slender and deep red. Mature bark is up to 1/2 thick and dark reddish-brown: at first smooth, then becoming divided into deep fissures separated by broad, flat ridges.