Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon, USA

Common name: White Oak

Family: Fagaceae

Distribution: Eastern N. America

Comments: White oak is one of the most popular hardwood sources and street trees in the US historically. Typically grows 80-100’ tall with a diameter of 3-4’. When grown in the open they have a shorter, stockier trunk with a wide crown, while in forests trunks grow taller and straighter with compact crowns. Acorns are round to egg-shaped with a bowl-shaped, warty cap that detaches in early fall. Leaves are dull-green to blue-green with lighter undersides that grow between 4 and 9” long with 7 to 9 rounded lobes. The lower half of the leaf tapers into a short stalk. Fall color is wine red to brown, with leaves sometimes lasting through midwinter. Twigs are smooth and shiny with a grayish to reddish color with rounded, oval-like bud clusters at the ends. Lives in a wide range of climates and habitats in its native range from eastern, southern, and midwestern U.S.