Tree Categories: Fall Color Trees, Oak Trees, and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: 60+ feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 30+ feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, and Zone 9
The White Oak (Quercus alba) is a large-sized shade tree. It has a pyramidal habit as a young tree before developing an oval rounded crown with strong, spreading branches. The foliage emerges green in the spring with 7-9 rounded lobes and matures to a dark green or even blue-green in the summertime. In the fall, the leaves turn to an attractive reddish-brown color. The smoky gray, scaly bark on the trunk and branches combined with the large, spreading form provide the winter landscape with some nice texture. Also produces small acorns that can be edible to humans once the tannins are boiled out.
The White Oak is native throughout most of the eastern United States. Its wood has served multiple uses throughout history but today is prized for its use as wooden barrels for wineries and whiskey distilleries throughout the country. This tree is long-lived and supports an abundance of wildlife from butterflies and moths to small mammals and birds. It is a great option as a stand alone specimen and shade tree and its form and fall color are plenty ornamental. It is adaptable to a wide range of soils but prefers deep, moist, well-drained soil. Does best in full sun.
