Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
	A frequent but somewhat uncommon understory shrub in pine rocklands, mesic flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, sandhill and dry prairie.
Availability:
	Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description:
	Small woody groundcover with branches usually to 3 feet or less and numerous underground stems. Leaves are 1-4 inches long.
Height:
	Typically 6-18 inches in height; to about 3 feet in South Florida. Spreading and forming patches broader than tall.
Growth Rate:
	Slow.
Range:
	Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties.
Habitats:
	Pinelands.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
	Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
	Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun.
Flower Color:
	Green.
Flower Characteristics:
	Inconspicuous. Pollination is by wind.
Flowering Season:
	Early spring, before the emergence of new leaves.
Fruit:
	Pale brown acorn about 2/3" long. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides food and cover for wildlife. Larval host plant for red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) butterflies; possible larval host for Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) and oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius) butterflies. The acorns are utilized by squirrels.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
	This miniature oak makes an excellent groundcover but has not received much attention in the native plant trade.