Quercus minima

Common Names

Dwarf Live Oak, Minimal Oak

Summary

Native to the Southeastern United States, the Dwarf Live Oak is a small evergreen shrub that forms clonal patches through underground rhizomes and typically stands 0.2–0.7 m tall. It has a low, multi-stemmed habit with smooth light gray to brown bark; leaves are dimorphic with proximal blades 40–120 × 20–50 mm and distal blades 20–60 × 5–20 mm, margins minutely revolute or flat, abaxially white/glaucous with stellate hairs and adaxially dark green and glossy. Flowers appear in spring and produce 1–3 acorns per peduncle on 3–30 mm peduncles; cups are hemispheric to goblet-shaped with whitish or grayish scales, and nuts are dark brown, about 13–22(−25) × 8–15 mm; habitat includes deep sandy soils in coastal plain open evergreen woodlands and scrublands, pine flatwoods, coastal fringe sandhills, and pine rocklands.

For cultivation, it prefers full sun to partial shade and sunny, well‑drained sandy soils, is drought‑tolerant, and not salt‑tolerant. It spreads by underground rhizomes and by seed, forming dense colonies, and can be propagated by layering, root cuttings, or seed. Practical uses include groundcover and a natural landscape component in habitat restorations, with wildlife value; hardiness generally in USDA zones 7a–10b.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

6 inches-3 feet

Spread

3-6 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 7a-10b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained sandy soil

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained

Bloom Color

Yellow-green

Bloom Time

Spring and Fall

Foliage Color

Dark green to light green above, whitish or glaucous below.

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts butterflies, Attracts moths, Attracts birds