Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; oblong to obovate; 6" to 10" long, 3" to 5" wide; deciduous; margin with 5 to 9 rounded lobes; variable shape; dark green and glabrous above; pale and hairy beneath; yellow to brown fall color; petiole 1" long, hairy.

Twigs/buds: Twigs stout; yellow-brown; becoming ashen or brown; hairy; often with corky ridges.  Terminal buds clustered at end of twig, blunt; lateral buds smaller.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious.  Fruit an acorn; short-stalked; about 1" long; 1/2 or more enclosed by fringed cap; matures in one season.

Bark: Thick; gray-brown; deeply furrowed and ridged.

Wood: Important; sapwood white to light brown; heartwood light to dark brown; growth rings very distinct; ring-porous; rays visible to naked eye; pores normally filled by hardened bubbles; used for lumber, furniture, barrels, etc.

General: Native from the Great Plains east throughout the Midwest and Lake States.  An important tree species where native that grows on fairly dry upland sites as well as lower wetter sites.  It can also be found in fairly dense forests or as scattered trees on the edges of the prairie.  It is long lived and drought tolerant.  Intermediate shade tolerance.

Landscape Use: This is one of the best non-native trees for planting in most parts of Utah.  Many of these oaks that grow into the edges of the Great Plains do well in Utah because of their adaptations to high soil pH, moderate to severe drought, heat, cold, and winds that are common on the Plains.  Bur oak grows at a medium rate and gets fairly large; has an excellent broad canopy and beautiful dark-green leaves; is affected by few pests; and is becoming more available in nurseries.  Zones 2-8.

Comments & Limitations:  Acorns can be a nuisance.

Characteristics