The southern live oak (Quercus virginiana Miller) is native to the coastal plain of the U.S.—southern Virginia to Florida to eastern Texas—and the very symbol of the 'Old South'. These large spreading trees seem evergreen; new leaves are set as the previous year's leaves are falling. The leaves are thick and revolute (curled toward the underside). The adaxial (upper) side of the leaf is deep green and smooth, the abaxial (lower) side has stellate trichomes giving it a whitish color and a soft fuzzy feel.

Live oaks are highly susceptible to fire. In fire-maintained habitats like saw palmetto prairies and pine flatwoods, the oaks are killed while the palmettos and pines survive. But if these areas do not burn, the live oaks will form pure or almost pure stands called hammocks (from hummock or humpock 'little hump'). These stands arise from flat landscapes like islands. It is estimated that it can take 50 years to go from seedlings to hammock.

Once the hammock is established, the oaks grow to considerable proportions. If the canopy is dense, the ground beneath may be almost free of vegetation; if it allows sunlight through, palmettos and herbaceous plants will grow. The once fire-susceptible oaks resist fire both because of the architecture of the hammock and the microclimate created within it.

Whether a mature live oak hammock is found on xeric (dry), mesic (moist), or hydric soils, the twisted limbs form an arching dome. The park-like setting has few tall shrubs or subcanopy trees that would allow fire to jump into the canopy. The tannins in the leaves resist decay; the leaf litter becomes moisture-retentive mulch. If the leaf litter catches fire, it burns at a low temperature which does not damage the tree trunks. Under the canopy, the hammock is cool and humid.

A live oak hammock is a wonderland and a refuge. The trees are often festooned with epiphytes—Spanish moss curtains, spiky airplants, and butterfly orchids. Catbirds, warblers, gnatcatchers, mockingbirds, cardinals, and robins shelter in the canopy. Turkey and quail feast in the autumn on the acorns and hide among the palmettos. Barred owls fly silently through the branches seeking mice. Deer bed-down there. Yet for all their beauty, these unique forests are not protected by environmental laws.

(Compiled from: Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, R.P. Wunderlin, University Press of Florida, 1998; "Fire Ecology, Quercus virginiana", Forest Service of the US Department of Agriculture; and personal observations)