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Fagaceae family

Hybrid Oak Quercus ×filialis hybrid

Native

Hybrid Oak is a perennial tree native to the lower 48 states. A keystone plant for native insects and the food web.

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Hardiness
≥ zone 7 derived from its U.S. range
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
In the garden
Tree layer (canopy / understory) — Sits in the tree of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts ~532 caterpillar species · keystone genus

Quercus supports ~532 caterpillar species.

Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a powerhouse genus.

Recorded feeding on Quercus in North America, including:

Abagrotis alternata · Greater Red Dart Abagrotis baueri · owlet moth Abrostola microvalis · Minute Oval Abrostola Acharia stimulea · Saddleback Caterpillar Moth Achatia distincta · Distinct Quaker Acleris albicomana · Red-Edged Acleris
+ 8 more species →
Acleris chalybeana · Lesser Maple Leafroller Acleris hastiana · leafroller moth Acleris perfundana · leafroller moth Acleris semipurpurana · Oak Leaftier Moth Acleris subnivana · Bent-Wing Acleris Acrobasis blanchardorum · snout moth Acrobasis comptella · snout moth Acrobasis hebescella · snout moth
Keystone count (genus-level) from Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use records. Named species (a documented Nearctic sample, not exhaustive) from NHM HOSTS (CC0).
Species thumbnails re-hosted from iNaturalist — Creative Commons, credited per image (hover for credit). Click any species to see it on iNaturalist. Not exhaustive; many taxa have no openly-licensed photo yet.
Sources for this entry (9) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[06] Ecological value — Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[07] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[08] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[09] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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