Quercus minima, the dwarf live oak or minimal oak, is a North American species of shrubs in the beech family. It is native to the southeastern United States. Quercus minima is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub rarely more than 2 meters (6.7 feet) tall, reproducing by seed and also by means of underground rhizomes. This it commonly forms extensive cloned colonies with many stems, many of them unbranched. Leaves are alternate, up to 12 cm (4.8 inches) long, and toothless or with irregular teeth or lobes. Lobes, when present, are usually spine-tipped. Leaves are retained through the winter, dropping just before or as new growth resumes in late winter or early spring.