White Oak
Stave Oak
Quercus alba L.
Chêne blanc
Range: A characteristic tree of the broadleaf forests of southern Ontario and Quebec.
Leaves: 10-20 cm long, usually widest above the middle.
7-9 lobes, rounded and narrow, some with 1 or 2 large blunt teeth, separated by deeply cut notches.
Downy and pinkish when unfolding, later hairless.
Upper surface is bright green, paler beneath.
Leaves may turn reddish-purple in autumn.
Buds: Terminal bud is ovoid, 3-5 mm long, blunt, usually hairless, reddish-brown, not angled.
Lateral buds diverge from the twig.
Twigs: Moderately stout, green to reddish-green when young, becoming red, then gray.
Mostly hairless.
Fruits: Acorns are 12-20 mm long, solitary or paired, stalkless or short-stalked.
Cup is broadly bowl-shaped, enclosing about one-quarter of the nut.
Scales are thickened, warty, free at the tips but not forming a fringe to the cup.
Bark: Pale gray, often with a reddish cast, scaly.
Wood: Hard, strong, tough, light brown.
Size and Form: Medium-sized to large trees, up to 35 m high, 120 cm in diameter, and several hundred years old.
Trunk is distinct well into the crown, often branch-free for two-thirds of the tree height.
Crown of open-grown trees can be composed of large branches with many wide-spreading side branches that become gnarled and twisted.
Roots are deep, spreading, with a deep taproot.
Habitat: Grows well on a variety of soils.
Usually mixed with other oaks, basswood, black cherry, hickories, sugar maple, white ash, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock.
Moderately shade-tolerant.
Persists as an understory tree but grows well after the stand is opened.
Quick Recognition: Leaves are hairless underneath (contrasting with bur oak, which is hairy underneath), and never have a large terminal lobe.
Lateral buds diverge from the twig (in contrast to bur oak, where buds are pressed against the twig).
All bud scales are broad (bur oak has a few narrow, loose scales).
Branchlets are smooth (bur oak has corky ridges).
Acorn cup encloses one-quarter of the nut (bur oak's cup encloses one-half or more).
Bark is light gray with thin scales (bur oak has dark gray bark with thick scales).
White Oak
Stave Oak
Quercus alba L.
Chêne blanc
Range: A characteristic tree of the broadleaf forests of southern Ontario and Quebec.
Leaves: 10-20 cm long, usually widest above the middle.
7-9 lobes, rounded and narrow, some with 1 or 2 large blunt teeth, separated by deeply cut notches.
Downy and pinkish when unfolding, later hairless.
Upper surface is bright green, paler beneath.
Leaves may turn reddish-purple in autumn.
Buds: Terminal bud is ovoid, 3-5 mm long, blunt, usually hairless, reddish-brown, not angled.
Lateral buds diverge from the twig.
Twigs: Moderately stout, green to reddish-green when young, becoming red, then gray.
Mostly hairless.
Fruits: Acorns are 12-20 mm long, solitary or paired, stalkless or short-stalked.
Cup is broadly bowl-shaped, enclosing about one-quarter of the nut.
Scales are thickened, warty, free at the tips but not forming a fringe to the cup.
Bark: Pale gray, often with a reddish cast, scaly.
Wood: Hard, strong, tough, light brown.
Size and Form: Medium-sized to large trees, up to 35 m high, 120 cm in diameter, and several hundred years old.
Trunk is distinct well into the crown, often branch-free for two-thirds of the tree height.
Crown of open-grown trees can be composed of large branches with many wide-spreading side branches that become gnarled and twisted.
Roots are deep, spreading, with a deep taproot.
Habitat: Grows well on a variety of soils.
Usually mixed with other oaks, basswood, black cherry, hickories, sugar maple, white ash, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock.
Moderately shade-tolerant.
Persists as an understory tree but grows well after the stand is opened.
Quick Recognition: Leaves are hairless underneath (contrasting with bur oak, which is hairy underneath), and never have a large terminal lobe.
Lateral buds diverge from the twig (in contrast to bur oak, where buds are pressed against the twig).
All bud scales are broad (bur oak has a few narrow, loose scales).
Branchlets are smooth (bur oak has corky ridges).
Acorn cup encloses one-quarter of the nut (bur oak's cup encloses one-half or more).
Bark is light gray with thin scales (bur oak has dark gray bark with thick scales).