NOTE: unless otherwise specifically stated, all of the images shown on this
page are of 1/4" square end grain cross sections shown at 12X with the top
of the image towards the bark and the bottom towards the pith so that
earlywood is towards the bottom of the growth rings and latewood is towards the top
to see all species with links to their anatomy page go here:
species links
general characteristics of live oaks end grain
pores: medium to small in radial strands or vaguely dendritic groups, often surrounded by lighter tissue that makes the pore groups look very dense; occasionally a live oak will appear semi-diffuse porous more than pure diffuse porous
parenchyma: generally discernible banded parenchyma; sometimes hard to see even with a 10X loupe
rays: moderate to heavy, normally visible to the naked eye, always visible with a 10X loupe. When they ARE hard to see with the naked eye, it's not because they are small but because they have a color that blends with the surrounding tissue
growth rings: boundaries vary from indiscernibly vague to obvious (but always weaker than in the ring porous oaks)
NOTES:
(1) live oaks are from both the red and white oak groups. These are oaks that do not shed their leaves in the winter. Live, in this case, means evergreen (the normal characteristics of conifers / softwoods, but not of hardwoods)
(2) "normal" / deciduous oaks, red and white shed their leaves in the winter are ring porous and have their own page in the ring porous group on this site.
(3) It is sometimes mistakenly believed that "live oak" refers only to Quercus virginiana but that is seriously mistaken. Quercus virginiana is just the most commonly known species that is a live oak, not at all the only one, as you can see on this page.
live oak / Quercus virginiana --- nice example of radial pore strands without the light-colored surrounding tissue that is common in the dendritic bands of some live oaks
live oak / Quercus virginiana --- nice example of radial pore strands without the light-colored surrounding tissue that is common in the dendritic bands of some live oaks
canyon live oak / Quercus virginiana --- a 1/2" x 1/4" cross section shown here at 6X
canyon live oak / Quercus virginiana --- a 5/12" x 1/4" cross section shown here at 9X, some lighter tissus surrounding the pores
live oak / Quercus virginiana --- a 5/12" x 1/3" cross section shown here at 7X
canyon live oak / Quercus chrysolepis
canyon live oak / Quercus chrysolepis
canyon live oak / Quercus chrysolepis
Lacey oak (a live oak) / Quercus laceyi --- 1/4" x 1/3" cross section shown here at 9X
sadler oak / Quercus sadleriana
Vietnamese oak (a live oak) / Quercus poilanei --- particularly strong banded parenchyma
Vietnamese oak (a live oak) / Quercus poilanei --- particularly strong banded parenchyma
coast live oak / Quercus agrifolia
coast live oak / Quercus agrifolia
coast live oak / Quercus agrifolia
sand oak / Quercus geminata --- heartwood of a piece
sand oak / Quercus geminata --- sapwood of the same piece
myrtle oak / Quercus myrtifolia --- this appears to be ring porous so possibly it is a mis-identification; I thought Quercus myrtifolia was a live oak but maybe not.
live oak samples that were mistakenly presented to me as "Turkey oak / Quercus laevis" but that species is emphatically ring porous so these are some other live oak. They are probably in the red oak group because some areas on each have very short rays.
live oak / Quercus spp. --- this image and the one next to it are both from areas of the same piece that are close to each other
live oak / Quercus spp. --- this image and the one next to it are both from areas of the same piece that are close to each other
live oak / Quercus spp. --- this image and the one next to it are both from areas of the same piece that are close to each other
live oak / Quercus spp. --- this image and the one next to it are both from areas of the same piece that are close to each other
live oak / Quercus spp.
live oak / Quercus spp.
live oak / Quercus spp.
live oak / Quercus spp. --- heartwood of a piece; this is a 1/3" x 1/2" cross section shown here at 6X
live oak / Quercus spp. --- sapwood of the same piece; this particular sapwood had an unusual yellow color
live oak / Quercus spp. ---this is a 1/4" x 1/3" cross section shown here at 9X; the thin white vertical lines are cracks
NOTE on Quercus phillyraeoides: some pieces appear semi ring porous or even ring porous because the growth boundaries are easy to see but that does not make them other than diffuse porous. Notice that the pores in the earlywood are the same size as the pores in the latewood even though the surrounding tissue may be thicker in the latewood. Also, the rays can be hard to see with the naked eye because they are almost exactly the same color as the surrounding tissue.
Japanese live oak (ubame gashi) / Quercus phillyraeoides
Japanese live oak (ubame gashi) / Quercus phillyraeoides
live oak / Quercus spp. --- a live oak from the white oak group but no idea what species
live oak / Quercus spp. --- this piece was sent to me for ID and as far as I can tell, it is a live oak, but I note that it has abnormally large pores for a live oak