The Nuttall Oak: A signature tree at the Arboretum

One of the signature trees at the Pitt County Arboretum is the Nuttall Oak in our Mixed Border.  Perhaps the largest tree on the grounds, the Nuttall pre-dates the formation of the Arboretum itself, standing for many years in place before the installation of the garden that surrounds it. Its presence in the garden is mighty, as is the number of leaves it sheds for our volunteers to rake up.

Nuttall Oak, Quercus texana, is a large, deciduous, shade tree native to the Southeast and South Central United States.   It is often found growing in wet, heavy soils in low areas and floodplains, such as the Mississippi River basin; however, in landscape settings it is tolerant to a fairly wide range of soils and is quite drought-tolerant once established. The Nuttall will grow to a height of about 80’ tall and 50-60’ wide, so it may not fit in every backyard, but it is an excellent shade tree for larger landscapes, including parks and public spaces. It does reasonably well as a parking lot or street tree in urban settings, though it will likely not grow to its full mature size and its surface roots may become a bit of a hazard.

Top: The leaves of the Nuttall Oak turn  a beautiful mix of dark orange, red, and

burgundy in the fall. The crown of the tree spreads with age, becoming round at maturity. Bottom left:  The foliage of the Nuttall Oak is a lustrous deep green during much of the year. Photo: K. Ziarnek, CC BY-SA 4.0. Middle right: The bark is gray-brown, with broad, flat, and scaly vertical ridges. Bottom right: Close-up of an Oak leaf. Photo: K. Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0

The shape of the leaves and the architecture of the tree canopy somewhat resemble red oak, though the lobes of its leaves are significantly deeper than those of red oak, making it a distinctly different species.  Foliage of Nuttall is a lustrous deep green during much of the year, and the dense canopy creates a deep and heavy shade below it.  This is the type of tree gardeners struggle, and ultimately fail, to plant grass underneath. Non-turf grass lookalikes like liriope and mondo grass will perform reasonably well. In fact we have a nice stand of liriope under the Arboretum’s Nuttall, but true turf like Centipede and Bermuda will not grow in the dense shade and root competition below a Nuttall’s canopy.

In fall, the leaves transition to a beautiful mix of orange, red, and burgundy, commanding attention no matter the landscape location. Many oaks hold their leaves past the peak of their fall color until they’ve turned entirely brown, most notably the white oak, whose old leaves don’t drop until the new leaves emerge in spring. In contrast, the Nuttall drops its leaves clean in the fall.  Make no mistake, there’s a lot to clean up, but luckily our compost bins are located nearby and after mowing the fallen leaves, we simply dump them into the compost to help feed future plants. 

Nuttalls, like many oaks, are host plants for a wide variety of butterfly species and other types of wildlife.  Imperial moths, Hairstreaks, and Duskywings are among the many types of lepidoptera species. Squirrels and numerous birds enjoy the acorns, although they tend to be mostly ignored by deer.

Matthew Stevens is the horticulture extension agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have any questions about this article or other aspects of your home gardening, please contact the Pitt County Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.