Sugarberry
Celtis laevigata Large tree Zones 5–10 50–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Water Oak
Quercus nigra. Large tree, 50 to 100 feet, zones 6 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow water oak, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Possum oak, duck oak, punk oak, orange oak |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 50 to 100 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 70 |
| Zones | 6 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, street tree |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Acorns, September to November |
| First crop | About 20 years (good crops in alternate years) |
| Pollination | Needs a second, unrelated tree. The flowers are wind pollinated, and an acorn crop wants another oak nearby, since oaks seldom set acorns with their own pollen. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Toxicity | The acorns and leaves are poisonous to people and horses. |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, stream banks, the coast, old fields and edges |
| Native in | 18 states and the District of Columbia |
Water oak is native in 18 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of water oak's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa Large tree Zones 4–8 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis Large tree Zones 3–9 40–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora Large tree Zones 6–10 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and the coast in the wild.
Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database and UF/IFAS Extension.