Laurel oak (Quercus imbrecaria) is native to areas of rich soil, along streams as well as slopes and uplands, from Pennsylvania south to Georgia and west to Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. It is also known as the shingle oak, as early settlers in the Midwest used the wood to make shingles. It is a low maintenance shade tree of medium height that will grow in USDA zones 5 to 8. The leaves are unlobed, often making its identity as an oak hard to recognize.

Swamp laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia) is a similarly sized, semi-evegreen oak found in the southeastern United States. This plant is believed to be an oak hybrid by some and either a synonym or mis-identification of other species by other naming authorities. Nonetheless, the name swamp laurel oak is associated with a tree bearing non-lobed leaves much like those of the shingle oak, both resembling those of a laurel shrub.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service