I doubt that the buyer of this house was aware that the southern live oak she was getting is the state tree of Georgia. I helped trim under the tree in preparation for the sale, so the house would have a better view from the street. Such oaks are most picturesque with Spanish moss dangling from their limbs, but this tree already adds to the beauty of the house and will become increasingly impressive as it grows older.
Older southern live oaks have massive limbs that may spread almost twice the tree’s height. With its low profile and center of gravity, and its deep tap-root and extensive root system, the tree is extremely resistant to storm damage. It may live 
over 400 years. Considering the tree’s spread over its long life, it should be grown in a space suitable for its eventual size. A tree trimmed to allow activity under it without bumping into low branches has a very good shaded area, and the large lateral branches are excellent for climbing and for hanging swings. Trees can be enjoyed for generations, and it is easy to imagine activities that most likely happened under the tree over its long life.
The southern live oak, Quercus virginiana, is a white oak native to the southeastern United States. Though it is most often found in coastal plain areas, it is also found in the Atlanta region. Trees Atlanta lists its 2014 champion southern live 
oak in Inman Park, and it has a trunk circumference of 14.9 feet, height of 59.8 feet, and spread of 78.0 feet. It is said that trees grow moderately fast upward, and then slow to put on bulk and spread outward. Though many consider the southern live oak to be evergreen, in coastal areas a spring leaf drop is coordinated with the emergence of new leaves. Leaf drop may occur sooner in colder or drier areas, but leaves on the top pictured tree in Douglasville, Georgia remain green in December.
The trunk of the southern live oak is larger in diameter than any other oak. It has dark brown bark that is thick and furrowed. Massive lower limbs of older trees often sweep down and curve 
back up, and some may touch the ground. There are many tangles of twigs. Leaves are entire and slender with no lobes. They are simple, flat, stiff and leathery. Leaf tops are shiny dark green and leaf bottoms are pale gray. Leaves appear alternately on branches, usually without petioles but sometimes with petioles up to 3/8 inches. Leaf size is 3/4 to 6 inches long and 2/5 to 2 inches wide. The canopy is broad, rounded and remains green.
Male flowers are green 3 to 4-inch long catkins that hang from branches. Female flowers are very small with no petals, emerging on twigs with the new leaves in spring. Fruit is a small acorn, 1/3 to 1/2 inch in size. It appears singly or in clusters, is tan to nearly black, and is slightly ovoid in shape.
Today, the southern live oak is primarily valued as a specimen tree in landscapes, and for wildlife food and shelter. Once, the tree’s strong and dense timbers were valuable in framework construction of naval ships. Ships so constructed held up so well in battle that one ship was nicknamed “Old Ironsides”. Timber is now seldom found commercially, but it has been used not only in shipbuilding but in making furniture, cabinets, and flooring. Native Americans used the acorns for extraction of cooking oil. They used the bark to make dyes. They used leaves for making rugs. Seedling root tubers were eaten fried. Various parts of the tree were used for medicinal purposes. The Southern live oak has had many remarkable and valuable uses.
It would be hard to find a more picturesque tree than a southern live oak. However, if we could get Spanish moss to grow here…