Quercus alba

Common Name(s):

White oak

Categories:

Native Plants, Poisonous Plants, Trees

Comment:

The Quercus alba, commonly called the White oak, grows to 50-80' tall in cultivation and taller (to 100') in the wild. It is pyramidal when young, but matures into a substantial tree with a thick trunk and wide-spreading, rounded crown. It is a difficult tree to transplant.  As the tree ages, the bark becomes somewhat shaggy along the middle and upper stem.

The White oak grows over much of eastern North America and is an important hardwood timber tree.

Regions:  Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plains

Seasons of Interest: 

     Leaves:   Fall      Bloom:   Early Spring     Fruit/Seed/Nut:  Fall

Wildlife Value:  This tree is moderately resistant to damage by deer.  It is a host plant for the Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace's Duskywing, Juvenal's Duskywing, butterflies and many moths.  The Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, blue joys, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bear.

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:  Potential diseases include oak wilt, anthracnose, and oak leaf blister. Potential insects include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner and lace bug.

Height:

60-100 ft.

Flower:

The White Oak has insignificant yellowish-green flowers in separate male and female catkins that appear in spring shortly after the leaves emerge. The fruits are rich brown oblong acorns (to 3/4" long) with a warty-scaled cap that covers about 1/4 of the nut and detaches at maturity in late fall. The acorn requires only one growing season to reach maturity.

Zones:

3-8

Habit:

Deciduous

Site:

The White Oak is best grown in rich, moist, acidic, well-drained loams in full sun. Has a tolerance for drought, dry, rocky soil, and being planted near black walnuts. It will adapt to a wide variety of soil conditions.

Texture:

Medium to coarse

Form:

Pyramidal in youth; broad crown with age; massive, spreading tree with thick trunk

Exposure:

Full sun

Fruit:

Nut, acorn

Family:

Fagaceae

Origin:

Eastern US

Poison Part:

Acorns (seeds of nuts) and young leaves.

Poison Delivery Mode:

Ingestion.

Symptoms:

Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination

Edibility:

EDIBLE PARTS: Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out. HARVEST TIME: Only collect nutsfrom areas you know.

Toxic Principle:

Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.

Severity:

CAUSES ONLY LOW TOXICITY IF EATEN.

Found in:

Forest or natural areas; landscape as ornamental and shade trees.

Width:

50-90 ft.

Growth Rate:

Moderate

Leaf:

The leaves (4-9" long) are alternate, simple and have 7 to 9 deep rounded lobes. They emerge pinkish in the spring but mature to dark green. The White Oak has variable fall color ranging from uninteresting browns to quality shades of dark red.

Tags:

clay, tsc, deciduous, street tree, drought tolerant, rocky soil, birds, dry soil, deer resistant, black walnut, shade tree, butterflies, wildlife

NCCES plant id: 2154