A live oak is a type of oak tree that keeps its green leaves year-round, rather than dropping them in autumn like most oak trees do. The name comes from this evergreen quality: while other oaks look dead or dormant in winter, live oaks stay alive with foliage through every season.

Live oaks grow mainly in the warm coastal regions of the southeastern United States, from Virginia down through Florida and west to Texas. They're famous for their massive, spreading branches that reach out horizontally, sometimes extending more than a hundred feet wide. These enormous limbs often droop low enough to touch the ground before curving back up toward the sky. In places like Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina, centuries-old live oaks draped with Spanish moss create one of the most distinctive and beautiful landscapes in America.

The wood of live oak is exceptionally dense and strong, which made it invaluable for shipbuilding. The USS Constitution, nicknamed “Old Ironsides” because cannonballs bounced off its hull during the War of 1812, was built partly from live oak. The curved branches were particularly prized because shipbuilders could use them for the naturally bent pieces needed in a ship's frame.

Many famous live oaks have become landmarks in their communities, with some trees estimated to be 500 years old or more.