Quercus alba Linnaeus. Subgenus: Quercus. Section: Quercus. Subsection: Albae. Common name: White Oak. Phenology: Apr; Sep-Nov (of the same year). Habitat: Mesic to xeric forests. Distribution: ME west to MN, south to Panhandle FL and e. TX.
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Taxonomy Comments: Hardin (1975) discusses introgression between Q. alba and many other species of Quercus subgenus Quercus.
Other Comments: Historically, one of the most valuable timber trees of eastern North America. Q. alba is probably the most abundant native plant in our area, and in eastern North America, based on biomass, leaf area, and ubiquity.
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, Can, F, Fl2, FNA3, G, GrPl, Il, K4, Mi, Mo3, NcTx, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WH3, WV, (basionym)
Links to other floras: = Quercus alba - FNA3
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU
- Great Plains: FACU
- Midwest: FACU
- Northcentral & Northeast: FACU
Heliophily ⓘ: 6
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Horticultural Information
Intro:
Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) green or purple or red, 2-3(-4) mm wide, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars half-round, bundle scars numerous, stipule scars inconspicuous, stipule scars not circumferential. Bark of mature trunks exfoliating or flaky or furrowed or plated or ridged. Buds axillary or terminal, bud clusters at ends of twigs present, reddish-brown, 3-5(-6) mm long, ellipsoid or globose or ovoid, blunt, glabrous or glabrate, bud scales imbricate.
Leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate or spiral, (7-)12-18(-25) cm long, (4-)7-11(-17) cm wide, elliptic or obovate or ovate, leaf margins entire, leaf margins plane or undulate, shallowly lobed or moderately lobed or deeply lobed or divided, pinnately lobed, leaf lobes (4-)6-8(-11) per leaf, leaf apices acute or rounded, leaf bases cuneate. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate, puberulent. Leaf lower surface green or silver or white, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent or with tufts in vein axils, puberulent. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein (3-)5-7. Petioles (0.4-)1-2.5(-3) cm long, glabrous. Stipules present, caducous, scarious, not circumferential.
Inforescence: Inflorescences axillary, catkins or flowers solitary or spikes, flowers sessile.
Flowers: Flowers unisexual, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals (2-)6(-8) per flower, red or yellow, sepal apices acute, caducous. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens (2-)6(-12) per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 3 carpels per flower, styles 3 per pistil, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present, involucres present.
Fruits: Fruits accessory fruits or acorns or nuts, (1-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) cm long, brown or reddish-brown, fruit maturation 1 years.
Comments: Staminate flowers in pendent catkins, pistillate flowers solitary or in few- to many-flowered spikes; pistillate flowers enclosed by a scaly involucre which develops into the acorn cup.
Height: to 100 feet
plant sale text: White oak makes an excellent large landscape tree. Typically this species has a pyramidal shape while young, and matures to produce a wide-spreading, rounded crown. A mature tree makes a fine shade tree. Fall color varies among individual trees ranging from reddish brown to more colorful shades of burgundy. White oak is found growing on dry upland slopes and in the well-drained loam of the bottomlands. The wood is used for furniture, flooring and wine barrels. Its common name of white oak refers to its light gray bark.
bloom table text:
description:
stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) green or purple or red, 2-3(-4) mm wide, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars half-round, bundle scars numerous, stipule scars inconspicuous, stipule scars not circumferential. Bark of mature trunks exfoliating or flaky or furrowed or plated or ridged. Buds axillary or terminal, bud clusters at ends of twigs present, reddish-brown, 3-5(-6) mm long, ellipsoid or globose or ovoid, blunt, glabrous or glabrate, bud scales imbricate.
leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate or spiral, (7-)12-18(-25) cm long, (4-)7-11(-17) cm wide, elliptic or obovate or ovate, leaf margins entire, leaf margins plane or undulate, shallowly lobed or moderately lobed or deeply lobed or divided, pinnately lobed, leaf lobes (4-)6-8(-11) per leaf, leaf apices acute or rounded, leaf bases cuneate. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate, puberulent. Leaf lower surface green or silver or white, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent or with tufts in vein axils, puberulent. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein (3-)5-7. Petioles (0.4-)1-2.5(-3) cm long, glabrous. Stipules present, caducous, scarious, not circumferential.
inflorescence: Inflorescences axillary, catkins or flowers solitary or spikes, flowers sessile.
flowers: Flowers unisexual, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals (2-)6(-8) per flower, red or yellow, sepal apices acute, caducous. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens (2-)6(-12) per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 3 carpels per flower, styles 3 per pistil, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present, involucres present.
fruits: Fruits accessory fruits or acorns or nuts, (1-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) cm long, brown or reddish-brown, fruit maturation 1 years.
comments: Staminate flowers in pendent catkins, pistillate flowers solitary or in few- to many-flowered spikes; pistillate flowers enclosed by a scaly involucre which develops into the acorn cup.
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: eastern United States