Quercus austrina

The majority of recent (last 50 years) floristic surveys within the range of Q. austrina mention the species as "a single individual" or rare (Crouch and Golden 1997). There are few instances of documented evidence of Bluff Oak growing in larger stands.

Rogers, in his 1977 publication, speaks of the Ragland Hills, located in Forrest and Perry Counties in southern Mississippi (now covering part of the De Soto National Forest), which housed a little more than 1 km² of the "largest and richest remnant of the beech-magnolia forest in Mississippi." In this remnant and the surrounding area, Rogers found Q. austrina to be rare and located only on banks of rivers. Dudley Phelps of Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries in northeast Mississippi has observed Q. austrina along the Pearl River in Marion County, where common associates include Q. nigra and Celtis occidentalis (D. Phelps pers. comm. 2016). A few more sites were recorded by Phelps along the Tombigee River in Lowndes County, though distribution is much sparser in this area.

Between 1985 and 2007 Ron Lance, biologist and land manager for North American Land Trust, participated in many searches for Q. austrina across its range. The only populations he located were found in Georgia, northern Florida, and South Carolina. Examination of herbarium specimens revealed many hybridized individuals, with influence from Q. stellata or Q. margarettae, and a few samples thought to be Q. alba hybrids with no relation to Q. austrina. Many of the sites Lance visited need to be located again to confirm present existence and health (R. Lance pers. comm. 2016).

Lance notes the most vigorous subpopulations to his knowledge as located in two Georgian state parks: Little Ocmulgee State Park of Telfair County, and Kolomoki Mounds State Park of Early County. Little Ocmulgee houses about 12 trees "scattered in the sandy soils from an entrance station to the picnic area" over approximately 0.01 km², although some appear to be hybrids. In Kolomoki Mounds, Bluff Oak is most common in ravines located a short way north and east from the campground area. Some specimens here are "large trees and in very good condition," with at least some recruitment evident in the late 1990’s. About eight or ten individuals were present and cover approximately 0.008 km². Lance also observed three isolated occurrences of Q. austrina within Georgia, including Faceville Landing of Decatur County, Reed Bingham State Park of Cook County, and Magnolia Springs State Park of Jenkins County.

In Florida, Lance observed eight occurrences at Wakulla Springs, in the panhandle of the state, which seemed to be of a distinctly different genotype from all specimens found in Georgia. He notes that the leaves are much larger in this Wakulla subpopulation, as well as within Apalachicola Bluffs Preserve in Liberty County, where two specimens were located. He recorded one final occurrence at Devil’s Millhopper State Park of Alachua County. Adam Black, Director of Horticulture at Peckerwood Garden Conservation Foundation, confirms existence of “a number of spotty populations in northern peninsular Florida and a few in the Florida panhandle” (A. Black pers. comm. 2016). Through observation of a few subpopulations within Alchua County for more than 15 years, Black recorded little, if any, acorn production and almost non-existent seedling recruitment. Yet he notes abundant acorn production from the younger, cultivated trees on the University of Florida campus.

Two large trees were also examined by Lance in Beaufort County within Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge on the southern coast of South Carolina, where the specimens are nestled away from many disturbances. In 2007 Lance observed two final individuals located on Spring Island within private property, just northwest of Pinckney Island. Q. austrina is not prevalent in the state though. Ward, on a collecting trip in 2007, writes of visiting known historical sites in North and South Carolina, and encountered no trees assignable to Q. austrina.

Phelps reports one occurrence along the Noxubee River in Sumter County, Alabama, and others have noted Q. austrina in the state historically. In his expeditions, Lance could not find evidence of pure occurrences in Alabama, either because of hybrid influence or taxonomic confusion through the years.

At this time, it seems that the majority of instances of Bluff Oak outside Georgia are found only in very low numbers, forming ‘subpopulations’ of two or three trees, sometimes even single, isolated trees; these stands are not sustainable without management. NatureServe last reviewed Bluff Oak in 2005 and updated its status to G4, or "Apparently Secure" globally. Their regional analysis lists Q. austrina as "critically imperiled" in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Arkansas (all other found sources list the species as no longer existing in Arkansas), "vulnerable" in Georgia, and "under review" in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 

It can be concluded that Q. austrina has a severely fragmented distribution. The majority of known sites are only occupied by a few trees and almost every locality is separated from others by a large distance, often greater than 50 km, making it unable to support a viable population. It is also likely that any further discoveries will consist of small subpopulations and habitat patches, since they have not yet been located.