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Vick, Albert F. W.
Quercus alba L.
White oak, Northern white oak, Stave Oak, Ridge White Oak, Forked-leaf White Oak
Fagaceae (Beech Family)
USDA Symbol: qual
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.
Popular and long-lived shade tree, which grows to 100 feet (30.5 m), with a widespreading rounded crown and with numerous horizontal branches. Bark light gray, shallow furrows forming scaly ridges or plates. Twigs slender to stout, gray to reddish-green twigs with star-shaped pith; buds are reddish-brown and broadly oval and hairless. Leaves petiole 3?8 - 1 inch (10 - 25 mm) in length; obovate to elliptical leaves, 4 - 8 inches (101 - 203 mm) long, 2 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (70 - 121 mm) wide, margin with 5 - 9 lobes that are widest beyond middle, deep sinuses extending a third or more to midrib; base acute to cuneate, apex broadly rounded; dull or shiny grayish green above, light green with slight pubescence which becomes smooth beneath as they mature. Acorns annual; 1 - 3 acorns on peduncle up to 1 1/4 inch (32 mm) long, light gray pubescent cup, enclosing 1/4 of the nut; light brown, oblong nut, up to 1 inch (25 mm) long; germinates in the fall after dropping to the ground.
The classic eastern oak, with widespreading branches and a rounded crown, the trunk irregularly divided into spreading, often horizontal, stout branches. Northern white oak is an imposing, deciduous tree, 80-100 ft. tall, with a straight trunk and a wide (when open-grown) crown. Large, coarse, horizontal limbs are picturesque. Catkins appear just before or with the appearance of new leaves. The round-lobed leaves turn burgundy in fall. Dried leaves remain into winter.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Size Class: 72-100 ft.
Leaf Shape: Ovate
Leaf Venation: Pinnately Veined
Leaf Margin: Lobed
Breeding System: Monoecious
Inflorescence: Catkin
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: Height to 100+ ft. Width 60 to 80 ft.
Leaf Color: Green to blue-green above and whitish below.
Autumn Foliage: yes
Flower Size: Male catkins 2-4 inches long; female flowers small single spikes.
Fruit Color: Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Red , Yellow , Green , BrownBloom Time: Apr
Bloom Notes: Male flowers are yellow-green, female flowers are reddish green.
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , ME , MD , MA , MI , MN , MS , MO , NE , NH , NJ , NY , NC , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VT , VA , WV , WI , DCCanada: ON , QC
Native Distribution: Eastern Canada and the United States from Quebec and Ontario west to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Florida, and north to Maine.
Native Habitat: Mesic to dry woods; warm, southwest slopes; rocky hillsides. Dry upland slopes to welldrained loam in bottomlands; may grow as a shrub at 4,500 feet (1,372 m) elevation in the southern Appalachian Mountains and reaches maximum potential height on lower slopes of the Allegheny Mountains and bottomlands of the Ohio Basin.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8) , Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Deep, moist, well-drained, loams & sands. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Acid-based.
Conditions Comments: In spite of a long list of troublesome pests, white oak is durable and long-lived. Do not plant in shade, areas of poor drainage, or alkaline soil. Old trees are sensitive to construction disturbance in their root zone and to planting turf around a tree on what had been a forest duff ground cover.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Fall conspicuous, Shade treeUse Wildlife: Acorns are horded by birds and rodents.
Use Food: Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out. Gather nuts during the fall from September to October. Only gather the ripe tan-to-brown acorns, rather than the unripe green ones. remove bitterness, shell the brown, ripe acorns and remove any corky skin layers, dice the meat, and boil the chunks in water from 15 to 30 minutes until the water turns brown. Then pour off the water and repeat the process until the water clears, indicating that the tannic acid has been removed. During the last boiling, salt water can be added; then the acorns can be deep fried or mixed in a soup.
Use Other: The most important lumber tree of the white oak group, its high-grade wood is useful for all purposes. It is sometimes called Stave Oak because the wood is outstanding in making tight barrels for whiskey and other liquids. In colonial times the wood was important in shipbuilding.
Warning: Acorns (seeds of nuts) and young leaves. Low toxicity if eaten. Symptoms include stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination.
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Edwards Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)
Propagation
Description: Oaks are most often propagated from seed. Plant immediately – outdoors or in deep containers to accomodate long initial taproot. The acorns sprout without a dormancy period and begin to germinate as soon as they fall from the tree. Protect outdoor bedsSeed Collection: Best quality acorns are picked or shaken from the tree. Collect when color has changed to brown. Best if sown immediately as acorns lose viability quickly in storage. Short-term storage in moist, shaded saw dust or sand. Acorns to be sown immediately can be soaked in hot water for 15 min. to prevent weevil infestation. Stored seed should be fumigated with methyl bromide.
Seed Treatment: No pretreatment is necessary.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Prune to maintain shape, Prevent complete soil dryness, Fertilize 3 times a year with lawn fertilizer 3:1:2 ratio, May be pruned 12 mo. out of the year
Find Seed or Plants
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Bibliography
Dale Groom's Texas Gardening Guide (2002) Groom, D.Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (2003) Stein, John D. and Denise Binion
Gardening with Native Plants of the South (1994) Wasowski and Wasowski
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina (1994) Vondracek, W. ; L. Van Asch
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Recommended Species Lists
Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.
View Recommended Species pageAdditional resources
USDA: Find Quercus alba in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Quercus alba in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Quercus alba
Metadata
Record Modified: 2009-12-10Research By: TWC Staff
