Photos in order of appearance: Cummer Oak from the Italian Garden, 2012; Cummer Oak from the English Garden, 2012; Cummer Oak, c. 1940s (the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens Archives).
The Cummer Oak (Live oak/ Quercus virginiana) is estimated to be between 175 and 200 years old. It has a spread of 150 feet. The gallery nearest the oak is built on pilings to protect the tree’s root system. Live oaks are a long lived native tree in the southern United States with spreading heavy limbs. Old leaves are shed in spring before new growth emerges. Like the Cummer Oak, many live oaks of the southern United States have limbs that are often draped with Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides).
