White Oak

white oak, any member of a group or subgenus (Leucobalanus) of North American ornamental and timber shrubs and trees of the genus Quercus in the beech family (Fagaceae). White oaks have smooth, bristleless leaves, sometimes with glandular margins, and acorns with sweet-tasting seeds that mature in one season. Bur oak and chestnut oak (qq.v.) are members of this group.

Specifically, the name white oak refers to Quercus alba, also called stave oak, which is one of the more important timber trees of the eastern United States. It is 18 to 45 m (60 to 150 feet) tall, with pale-gray, shallowly fissured, scaly bark. The glossy, bright green leaves, about 23 cm (9 inches) long and narrow toward the base, are divided almost to the midrib into seven or nine lobes; they turn wine red in autumn.

The Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica), which is about 18 m (60 feet) tall, is found in the southwestern United States on the slopes of canyon walls, at altitudes from 1,500 to 3,000 m (5,000–10,000 feet). Its narrow leaves are about 8 cm (3 inches) long and persist for one year.

The shrubby Gambel oak (Q. gambelii) may reach 4.5 m (15 feet) tall. The California white oak (Q. lobata), also called valley oak, is an ornamental and shade tree, often 30 m (100 feet) tall. It has graceful, drooping branches, many-lobed dark green leaves, and distinctive acorns about 5 cm (1.7 inches) long. The ash-gray to light-brown bark, slightly orange-tinted, is fissured into irregular cubes. The Oregon white oak (Q. garryana), sometimes shrubby but often more than 24 m (80 feet) tall, has widespreading branches; it is an important timber tree of the Pacific coastal region.

Other timber trees of the white oak group include the chinquapin oak, or yellow chestnut oak (Q. muehlenbergii), a tree scattered throughout its range; the overcup oak, or swamp post oak (Q. lyrata), the acorn of which is nearly covered by a deep cup; and the post oak (Q. stellata), the leaves of which have square-shaped central lobes. The dwarf chinquapin oak, or dwarf chestnut oak (Q. prinoides), is a shrub that forms dense thickets; it is a useful cover plant on dry, rocky ridges.

Many trees of the white oak group have acorns that germinate soon after they fall and are killed by cold before they can take root. Gray squirrels spread white oaks by carrying acorns to other sites and burying them. A decline in white oak reproduction is often associated with a decreasing squirrel population.

Timber from all members of the group is known as “white oak” in the lumber trade.