Around all the parks and resorts are a lot of what I presume to be Southern Live Oak, Quercus virginiana, and they're dropping a large number of their elongated, shiny acorns at the moment.

However, today at Epcot, I saw a few trees that looked almost the same as a Q. virginiana, perhaps a bit more upright in growth, but very similar leaves and bark. However, the acorns were almost spherical, but flattened at the end that attaches to the cup, almost like the acorns of a Pin Oak.

What would this tree have been? Looking online it seems somewhat like the Laurel Oak, Q. hemispherica, but I'm not sure, any ideas?

In fact, now that I think about it, I think there is one of them growing at a park in Columbia, MD. It seems to be evergreen (full green leaf in January last year when I drove by it), and looks like that tree.

So I collected a few acorns from the tree here at Disney, as well as some Live Oak acorns.

How do I germinate them? DO either need stratification? If not, will they winterkill in MD? Will they survive even at the post-seedling phase?

I've seen both Q. virginiana and Q. laurifolia in my area, the Laurel Oak at a park in Columbia (Z6b/7a) and a few Q. virginiana at the National Arboreatum in Washington, DC.

Are these the best evergreen/semi-evergreen oaks for my area? Are there other good choices?

What are the hardiest evergreen oaks overall?

Laurel Oak is considered a 'red oak' and the acorns germinate in the spring. Live Oak is considered a 'white oak' and it's acorns germinate in the fall.

The live oak acorns may start putting out some radicles/roots now, but it's no big deal as long as they're kept moist and cold.