Academics

White oak

Quercus Alba | Family: Fagaceae

submission: Chrissy McIntire

Identification:

Leaves—

long, narrow, and green

Twigs—

long light brown colored twigs, not narrow

Flowers—

green clustered catkins

Fruit—

small round green acorns

Bark—

rusted gray, rough.

Hover over one of the descriptions to see an example.

Natural History:

Lifespan—

300-600 years.

General description—

It's slow growing but lives for a very long time. It grows in moist soils in various habitats. They are related to other timber trees. (This also happens to be the state tree of my home state Maryland!)

Natural distribution and habitat—

Native to the Eastern US, where it is found all over.

Conservation status—

no serious threats, since they are very long lived with strong bark.

Uses—

Both birds and mammals use this tree for their food. Its strong wood is used to make ships. Humans also eat the acorns.

References:

“Lifespans of common trees in Virginia,” cnre.vt.edu, Virginia big trees, http://bigtree.cnre.vt.edu/lifespan.html
“White Oak,” canadiantreetours.org, Canadian Tree Tours, http://canadiantreetours.org/species-pages/White_oak.html
“White oak.” School of Forest Resources Conservation RSS2, University of Florida, 9 September 2015 http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/trees/White_oak/index.html