quercifolia – refers to the leaves that look like those of Quercus (oak)

Native range: SE United States

Leaves:

• opposite
• simple
• coarsely serrate
• nearly orbicular or elliptic
• lobed (like oak leaf) (3–7)
• about 8” long
• pubescent on lower surface
• long petioles (1–2.5”)
• truncate or subcordate base

Flowers:

• inflorescence:
  • upright pyramidal
  • multi branched (panicles)
  • 1 ft. long
• pinkish-white
• sterile margin flowers are showy, white turning purplish
• fertile flowers are small (<10 mm length) and have 2–4 styles

Fruit:

• capsule
• persistent

Other characteristics:

• multi-stemmed shrub to 6 ft.
• deciduous
• upright w/ many wide spreading branches
• peeling bark
• fall color – orange, brown, red, or purple

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to SE United States from Georgia to Florida to Louisiana
• found on bluffs and in moist woods, ravines, and stream banks
• pollinated by bees and flies
• sexual reproduction:
  • self-incompatible (self-pollen tubes grow more slowly than compatible cross-pollen tubes and do not penetrate the whole style or reach the ovule within), which promotes genetic diversity in the population
  • pollination must occur within 5 days of flower opening and becoming functional
• vegetative reproduction – produces suckers (new stems) from roots
• herbivory defense – tissues contain cyanogenic glycosides (produce cyanide) that taste bitter and affect nervous systems (causing pain and numbness) in mammals and insects
• shade tolerant:
  • large leaves capture light even at low levels
  • cooler temperatures in warmer climates decrease potential for water loss