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Plant profile · Austin & Hill Country

Water Oak

Quercus nigra
native · Central Texas

Water Oak is a tree native to Central Texas that grows 80–100 ft tall and 60 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and high water, and handles clay soil. Blooms yellow in mid spring. Good for birds and butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

5 sources
Type
Tree
Sun
Full sun to part shade (3–7 hrs of direct sun)
Water
High
Height
80–100 ft
Spread
60 ft
Bloom
Mid Spring · yellow
Foliage
Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil
Takes clay · recorded on clay, deep, loam, moist, poor drainage, sand
Wildlife
Supports birds and butterflies

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Floodplains and Low Terraces

162 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.