Georgia State Tree Live Oak Quercus Virginiana - Netstate

Georgia State Tree

Live Oak

Quercus virginiana

Adopted:1937

Georgia State Tree: Live Oak

Adoption of the Georgia State Tree

In a nod to Georgia's history, members of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution were behind the efforts to adopt the live oak as Georgia's state tree. Specifically, in wording like no other state, members of the Edmund Burke Chapter, located in Waynesboro, urged the Georgia General Assembly to adopt the live oak as "the official tree emblematic of the State of Georgia."

Their efforts met with success, when, on February 25, 1937, the live oak was approved as Georgia's official state tree. Joint Resolution No. 14, read,

Joint Resolution of the Georgia General Assembly Feb. 25, 1937

LIVE-OAK AS EMBLEMATIC TREE. No. 14.

A Resolution.

Whereas in many of the States of the Union some tree indigenous to the soil of the State has been chosen as an emblem of its sovereignty; and

Whereas hitherto the General Assembly of Georgia has made no such selection; and

Whereas the live-oak, being a tree indigenous to the soil of our State and especially flourishing along the Coastal plains and islands thereof where the first settlers and founders of this State resided, and which tree is so closely associated with our early history, and particularly with the lives of many famous Georgians such as General James Edward Oglethorpe, John Wesley and Sidney Lanier;

Be it therefore resolved by the House of Representatives of Georgia, the Senate concurring, that, at the suggestion and request of Edmund Burke Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, the live-oak be and the same is hereby adopted as and declared to be the official tree emblematic of the State of Georgia.

The live oak is also called the Virginia live oak. A quick glance at its scientific name will tell you why.

The Georgia Code

The following information is excerpted from the Georgia Code, Title 50, Chapter 3, Section 50-3-55.

Title 50. State Government. CHAPTER 50-3. SECTION 50-3-55. 50-3-55.

The live oak is adopted as the official tree emblematic of the State of Georgia.

Additional Information

Georgia State Tree: Live OakPhotograph by Dr. Terry McTigue, NOAA, NOS, ORR

Live Oak (Quercus virginiana P. Mill.): Tree Identification Fact Sheet from the Virginia Tech. Landowner Factsheet.

Plant Profile for Quercus virginiana P. Mill. (Live Oak): USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Quercus virginiana Mill. (Live Oak): United States Department of Agriculture: Forest Service: Agriculture Handbook 654: Silvics of North America.

Quercus virginiana (Live Oak): Plant Encyclopedia from MyGardenGuide.

State Tree List: List of all of the state state trees.

Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States: by Claud L. Brown and L. Katherine Kirkman. Timber Press (OR) (August, 2000)

A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides) (Paperback): by George A. Petrides, Janet Wehr (Illustrator), Roger Tory Peterson (Series Editor), Houghton Mifflin; 2 edition (July 15, 1998).

A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs : Northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and south-central Canada (Peterson Field Guides(R)): by George A. Petrides (Illustrator), Roger Tory Peterson (Series Editor), Houghton Mifflin; 2 edition (September 6, 1973).

A Field Guide to Eastern Forests : North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)) (Paperback): by John C. Kricher (Photographer), Gordon Morrison (Illustrator), Roger Tory Peterson (Series Editor), Houghton Mifflin (October 15, 1998).

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees : Eastern Region: by Elbert Luther Little. Knopf; Chanticleer Press ed edition (May 12, 1980).

America's Famous and Historic Trees: From George Washington's Tulip Poplar to Elvis Presley's Pin Oak (Hardcover) by Jeffrey G. Meyer. America's Famous and Historic Trees tells the stories of various trees that Meyer and his cohorts rescued or propagated: oftentimes, when trees were going to be cut down, he and his workers headed off the bulldozers, rescuing the tree with their massive tree hoe. Other trees--like the Indian Marker Pecan in southeast Dallas--were propagated before they died.

Trees : National Champions (Hardcover) by Barbara Bosworth. Bosworth captures the ineffable grace and dignity of trees with clarity and directness: the green ash that shades a midwestern crossroads, the common pear that blooms in a Washington field, and the Florida strangler fig with its mass of entwining aerial roots. Her black and white photographs, panoramic views taken with an 8 x 10 camera, show the immensity of the largest species and the hidden triumphs of the smallest

Plants, Seeds & Flowers: Bulbs, seeds, plants, fertilizer, plant containers and more.

Gardening Tools: Pruners, rakes, shovels, hoes, trowels, cultivators and tillers, greenhouses, yard carts and more.

State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002

State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: A Study based on historical documents giving the origin and significance of the state names, nicknames, mottoes, seals, flowers, birds, songs, and descriptive comments on the capitol buildings and on some of the leading state histories, Revised Edition - George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 (Reprint Services Corp. 1971)

Source: Georgia Code, October 8, 2005 Source: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia, October 8, 2005 Source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002