United States / Grow / Downy oak

Downy oak (Quercus pubescens)
Photo: (c) Gianni Del Bufalo bygdb, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Downy oak

Quercus pubescens · Fagaceae · all Quercus records · Wikipedia

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Downy oak opens with a conflict in the source record. A selected lab lineage comes from the 1990 study. It remains just one source position in this species record and does not displace the other rows behind the computed split.

The selected material applies to Quercus pubescens, not to every oak. Use the cited rows to compare the disagreement source by source. When that split makes this species a poor fit for the intended planting, related plants collects cited same-form alternatives and leaves each alternative's support on its own record.

Fire-resistant trees instead

Form
tree
Region
France; Italy; Mediterranean France; Spain
Rated in
Catalonia, Spain; Global; Mediterranean France / Provence
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Mixed evidence — location does not change the cited classification.
Placement evidence
1 source placement record; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions
Catalonia, Spain; Global; Mediterranean France / Provence

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Recommends (1)

Avoids (1)

Listed without a rating (31)
Corroboration (31 rows from 1 source)
  • FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

    31 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.

    • Primary study DeLillis2009: De Lillis, M., Bianco, P. M., & Loreto, F. (2009). The influence of leaf water content and isoprenoids on flammability of some Mediterranean woody species. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 18, 203-212.

      Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site DeLillis2009-1; sampling june to september.

      • “temperature at flaming (°C): 594.56”

        FLAMITS record 2384.

      • “temperature at flaming (°C): 524.76”

        FLAMITS record 2385.

      • “temperature at flaming (°C): 459.46”

        FLAMITS record 2386.

      • “temperature at flaming (°C): 469.16”

        FLAMITS record 2387.

      • “temperature at smoke (°C): 112.27”

        FLAMITS record 2405.

      • “temperature at smoke (°C): 110.43”

        FLAMITS record 2406.

      • “temperature at smoke (°C): 111.04”

        FLAMITS record 2407.

      • “temperature at smoke (°C): 105.2”

        FLAMITS record 2408.

    • Primary study Guijarro2002: Guijarro, M., Hernando, C., Díez, C., Martínez, E., Madrigal, J., Lampin-Cabaret, C., ... Vega, J. (2002). Flammability of some fuel beds common in the South-European ecosystems. IV International Conference Forest Fire Research. Coimbra, Portugal.

      Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device burning bench; site Guijarro2002-1; sampling ND.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “time to flaming (s): 8.6”

          FLAMITS record 4652.

        • “ignition frequency (%): 33.5”

          FLAMITS record 4675.

        • “time to flaming (s): 8.6”

          FLAMITS record 4683.

      • Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement.

        • “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.23”

          FLAMITS record 4665.

        • “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.23”

          FLAMITS record 4691.

    • Primary study Petriccione2006: Petriccione, M. (2006). Infiammabilità della lettiera di diverse specie vegetali di ambiente mediterráneo. Tesi Di Dottorato. Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Petriccione2006-1; sampling may to june.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “time to flaming (s): 8.32”

          FLAMITS record 10509.

        • “ignition frequency (%): 5”

          FLAMITS record 10511.

        • “flammability value: 5”

          FLAMITS record 10512.

      • “burning duration (s): 9.22”

        FLAMITS record 10510; Sustainability measurement.

    • Primary study Valette1990: Valette, J.-C. (1990). Flammabilities of Mediterranean forest species. Effects on the combustibility of the forest communities inflammabilités des espèces forestières méditerranéennes. Conséquences sur la combustibilité des formations forestières. Revue forestière française, 42, 76-92.

      Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Valette1990-1; sampling june to september.

      • “flammability value: 4”

        FLAMITS record 13351.

      • “flammability value: 5”

        FLAMITS record 13352.

    • Primary study Valette1992: Valette, J. C. (1992). Inflammabilities of Mediterranean species. In P. Balabanis, R. Eftichidir & R. Fantechi (Eds.), Forest fire risk and management: European school of climatology and natural hazard course. (pp. 51-64). Halkidiki, GR: General Directorate for Science, Research and Development of the European Commission.

      Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device epiradiator; site Valette1992-1; sampling may to november.

      • “time to flaming (s): 8.71”

        FLAMITS record 13367.

      • “time to flaming (s): 6.82”

        FLAMITS record 13368.

      • “time to flaming (s): 5.76”

        FLAMITS record 13369.

      • “time to flaming (s): 3.77”

        FLAMITS record 13370.

      • “time to flaming (s): 2.5”

        FLAMITS record 13371.

      • “time to flaming (s): 2.02”

        FLAMITS record 13372.

    • Primary study Pallozzi2018: Pallozzi, E., Lusini, I., Cherubini, L., Hajiaghayeva, R. A., Ciccioli, P., & Calfapietra, C. (2018). Differences between a deciduous and a conifer tree species in gaseous and particulate emissions from biomass burning. Environmental pollution, 234, 457-467.

      Shared row context: fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Pallozzi2018-1; sampling summer 2013.

      • “burning duration (s): 55.55”

        FLAMITS record 16452; Sustainability measurement; plant part leaves.

      • “burning duration (s): 476.72”

        FLAMITS record 16453; Sustainability measurement; plant part twigs.

      • “burning duration (s): 102.02”

        FLAMITS record 16454; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 600.01”

        FLAMITS record 16458; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 814.99”

        FLAMITS record 16459; Combustibility measurement; plant part twigs.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 557.93”

        FLAMITS record 16460; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter.

Fire-resistant trees instead

Fire-resistant trees listed above

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia ·

Quercus pubescens (Downy oak). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/quercus-pubescens/. Last verified 2026-08-23.