Skip to main content

Traveled Far and Wide To Find Vasey Oak Acorns This Year!

As New Mexico and Texas have been in drought the last several years collecting acorns from wild tree populations has been tough. Trees have not produced acorns or produce very few during seasons of drought. This year, to collect Vasey Oak acorns necessitated traveling to the Texas Hill Country. We found Vasey Oaks growing up the sides of dry arroyos. Outside of these arroyos the surrounding land appeared to be desert or mesa. Acorns were found in abundance on these trees.


Vasey Oak (Quercus pungens var. vaseyana) is a New Mexico native tree that can be found growing in the area near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Vasey Oak grows as a tree to 25’ - 40’ tall and wide 


or can sometimes form thickets. 


Vasey Oak may be an evergreen or semievergreen tree. It’s leaves are glossy green. 


The bark of Vasey Oak is unusual in that it is produced in scale-like vertical blocks.


Trees That Please Nursery grows Vasey Oaks starting with collected acorns that are germinated and grown over winter in our greenhouse.


Vasey Oaks are available in 5 gallon containers.
Contact the store for more information.

Photos By:
Anna Forester
General Manager

Photos & Narrative By:
Steve Sain
Staff Plant Physiologist

Comments

Joe C said…
Will they grow at our elevation in Snowflake , Az ?? :)
Joe,

They have survived in Los Lunas, NM during winters with lows of -20 F. Both Los Lunas, NM and Snowflake, AZ are out of it's natural range but they do well here, The Elevation in Los Lunas is about 5000' versus 5600' - 6000' in Snowflake. Probably would do OK.

Popular posts from this blog

Weed Identification: Goatheads or Stickers

Goatheads ( Tribulus terrestris ) are native to Southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Goatheads are also called stickers, sticker weed, bullhead, devil’s weed, and puncturevine. Goatheads are easily recognized by their prostrate growth form, leaves with leaflets, yellow flowers, and stickers (Goatheads). If you miss’em visually then they will stab you painfully in the fingers as you work your garden, or stick to your clothing and shoes. Goatheads are the primary reason local bicyclists must get “thorn proof” tires for riding on area trails and streets. Goatheads have prostrate stems that radiate outward from one central point. Leaves are compound with smaller leaflets. Lemon yellow flowers form along the stems and fertilized flowers form fruits.   Fruits consist of several attached structures called nutlets (Goatheads). Each nutlet is a single seed that becomes hard or woody when mature. Each seed has two sharp spines that easily pene...

Weed Identification: Sand Bur

Sand Bur ( Cenchrus longispinus ) is native to North America. It has other names like sand spur, long-spined sand bur, hedgehog grass, and bur grass . Sand Bur is an annual grass usually growing with a prostrate growth form. It is similar in appearance to other grasses prior to seed formation. Individual plants may be 3’ in diameter, sometimes larger. Sand Bur is a common weed of sandy soils but also grows well elsewhere. Sand Bur will often root at stem nodes that are touching the ground. The root system of Sand Bur is shallow and fibrous making them easily pulled (when immature). Sand Bur produces a flowering spike. As seeds begin to form Sand Bur is easily recognized by its numerous sharp or burred seeds or long spines. As the burred seeds mature they are easily separated from the mother plant and their sharp spines stick to virtually anything. Sand Bur can disseminate its seeds long distances because its sharp spines will hitch a ride on skin, anim...

All About the Shantung Maple!

             The Shantung Maple ( Acer truncatum ) is also known as the Purple Blow Maple due to the color of its newly emerging leaves which are red-purple (see photo below). These young expanding red-purple leaves change to green as they mature. Leaves are small, about the size of Japanese Red Maple leaves, perhaps 3’-4’ wide at maturity.    The Shantung Maple grows 1′-2′ annually reaching 25″ tall and wide.    This is our tree for all planting situations. This Maple does well in heavy clay, sandy soils, full sun, or part shade. It can be planted in a lawn or next to a hot asphalt street (see photo below). It seemingly is a happy tree enjoying life wherever it is placed.    One place we would not recommend planting this tree is in a rockscape which is just too hot and inhospitable to support this beautiful tree.               A smaller tree, the Shantung Ma...