Quercus stellata

Quercus stellata is a common tree found on ridges and uplands, prairies, limestone hills, woodlands, and deciduous forests of eastern North America in the United States from Iowa east to New York and Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas. It is threatened by chestnut blight and other fungal diseases, wildfire, succession, wind disturbance, logging, drought, insect predation, development, and other threats in some places. However, with a large range extent, more than 4,000 occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.

Quercus stellata is native to eastern North America in the United States from Iowa east to New York and Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas (FNA 1997). Range extent was estimated to be over 3 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 4,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). However, this taxon is commonly cultivated, and iNaturalist observations (>16,000) were not evaluated for evidence of cultivation (iNaturalist 2024).

Disease threats to Quercus stellata include the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica), which can cause mortality and defects to this species throughout its range, as well as oak wilt (Ceratocystis fugucearum), and other fungal diseases (Stransky 1990). Additional threats are not well documented but include wildfire, succession, pollution, wind disturbance, logging, drought, insect predation, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species rangewide.