COMMON NAMES: LACEY OAK, SMOKEY OAK, CANYON OAK, ROCK OAK, BLUE OAK
Quercus laceyi (glaucoides) (KWER-kus LACE-ee-eye)
Fagaceae (Beech Family)
Medium size deciduous shade tree
HEIGHT: 25 to 35 feet
SPREAD: 15 to 20 feet
FINAL SPACING: 15 to 20 feet
NATURAL HABITAT AND PREFERRED SITE: South Central Texas to the Trans Pecos in thin alkaline or limestone rocky soils up into the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park.
IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION: Lacey oak is a beautiful small to medium tree with blue-green mature foliage, peach colored new growth and similar fall color.
FLOWERS AND FRUIT: Separate male and female catkins in the early spring. Brown acorns are in clusters of 2 or 3.
BARK: Light gray to dark brown, flaky to deeply fissured.
FOLIAGE: Leaves are leathery, dusky blue to blue gray to grayish green. Fall color ranges from pink or peach to gold. The new growth in the spring is a similar color.
CULTURE: Easy to grow and adapts to many soil from sand to heavy clays. Can be found growing natively in the white limestone rocky soils so this is an excellent choice for the black and white soils of a large portion of Texas. It is drought tolerant and needs little fertilizer.
PROBLEMS: Availability in the trade. Hopefully it will become more available now that this book has been produced. It would not be able to stand wet soil continuously.
PROPAGATION: All oaks are grown from seed – as soon as they are released from the trees in the fall.
INSIGHT: The leaves are quite small in comparison to other oaks. Lacey oak is a trouble free tree that should be used much more in the landscape.