White Oak
Quercus
alba
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Copyright, Mark
Brand
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Erv Evans, North Carolina
State University
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White Oak is a large
tree, growing up to 100 feet tall. Its trunk
can get up to four feet across.
White Oaks usually grow
in forests
with other oaks, but can also be found on edges of lakes,
ponds, and streams.
Leaves of White Oak are
four to nine inches long, with between five and nine
lobes
(finger-like parts). They are bright green on top, and
whitish underneath. White Oak leaves turn red or brown in
the Fall, and will often stay on the branches of younger
trees in the Winter.
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Michael Clayton,
Wisconsin State Herbarium
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Copyright, Mark
Brand
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White Oaks have male and
female flowers.
The male flowers are
greenish-yellow catkins,
up to four inches long, which hang from twigs.
Female flowers are small
reddish spikes.
The fruit
of White Oak is an acorn,
growing over an inch long, with a warty cap. Many animals
eat these acorns.
The bark
of White Oak is light gray and scaly. Sometimes it flakes
off.
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White Oaks are often
associated
with the following plants: other oaks, pines, hickories,
maples, American Beech, Eastern Redcedar, Yellow Poplar,
American Sycamore, Sassafras, Sweetgum, Chestnut, Black
Cherry, and American Basswood.
This tree provides
cover
for many birds and small mammals,
even in Winter, since its leaves often stay on.
Animals also use White
Oak leaves and twigs
as nest materials.
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Copyright, Mark
Brand
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OPLIN
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Some of the animals which
eat White Oak acorns are Eastern Cottontail, White-footed
Mouse, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Blue Jay, Northern Bobwhite,
Wild Turkey, Mallard, Common Crow, Eastern Chipmunk, and
Raccoon.
White Oak depends on
these animals, especially Blue Jays and squirrels, to spread
its seeds to new places so new White Oaks can
grow.
White-tailed Deer,
Beaver, and Eastern Cottontails are known to eat twigs and
leaves of White Oak.
Some pests
of this tree include Gypsy Moths, Golden Oak Scale, weevils,
and Honey Mushrooms, among others.
Some larger animals, such
as Raccoons and Opossums, use White Oaks as dens if they
have become hollow.
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