Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; oblong to obovate; 5" to 9" long, 2" to 4" wide; deciduous; margin with 7 to 9 rounded lobes; deep to shallow areas between lobes; bright green and glabrous above; paler beneath; turns brown to deep red in fall; petiole 1" long.

Twigs/buds: Twigs moderately stout; purple-gray to green-red; without corky ridges.  Terminal buds 1/8" to 3/16" long, round to oval, clustered at end of twig; red-brown, glabrous; lateral buds similar but smaller.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious.  Fruit an acorn; no stalk or short-stalked; 1/2" to 3/4" long; cap with warty scales covers 1/4 of the acorn; matures in one season.

Bark: Light ash-gray; variable; young to medium-sized trees with chunky, vertical blocks, older trees with scaly plates attached at one side.

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

General: Native throughout the eastern half of the U.S. as far west as the eastern edge of the Great Plains.  It is long lived and fairly drought tolerant and is found on fairly dry, upland sites.  White oak leaves often resemble bur oak leaves, but acorns are very different.  Intermediate shade tolerance.

Landscape Use: Good introduced oak for planting in most of Utah, though not yet very common.  Tolerates moderately high soil pH, heat, and cold.  It grows at a medium rate and can get fairly large.  It has a nice, wide canopy and casts dense shade and is fairly free of problems.  Not common in Utah landscapes but should be planted more often.  Zones 3-9.

Comments & Limitations:  Acorns can be a nuisance.

Characteristics