The growth rate also slows with age. One of the longest-lived oaks, it may live 200 to 300 years. The live oak is probably best known for its massive horizontal limbs that give old trees their majestic character. The trunk can grow to more than six feet in diameter. The leaves remain intact through the winter, then yellow and drop in spring as new leaves expand.
Trees growing further inland, however, become semi-evergreen, losing some leaves in fall and winter.
The waxy leaves are resistant to salt spray. They are produced in clusters of one to five. Several insect galls are also found on live oak. No control is available. Oak wilt is a serious fungal disease that can kill infected trees within a year or two of infection.