Oak Family
Mr. TraegerHorticulture I CPSeptember 2013
White OakQuercus alba
White OakQuercus alba
• Height 65’ to 85’.• Tallest recorded 144’• Width possibly as wide as tall.• Live 200-300 years.• Infrequently used as an
ornamental tree.• Wine and whiskey barrels
typically made of white oak.• Prefers acidic to alkaline soils at
elevations up to 5,200’.• Acorns are edible.
White OakQuercus alba
White Oak“Charter Oak”, Connecticut
• Old Charter Oak: Reverse side of the Connecticut Quarter.
• Toppled in a storm in 1856.• Tree sprouted in the 12th or
13th century.• The 1622 Connecticut
Charter was hidden in the hollow of the tree. Protecting the charter from English confiscation during the Revolution.
White Oak“Wye Oak”, Maryland
• Wye Oak, Honorary State Tree of Maryland: 6/6/2002 Destroyed in a Severe Thunderstorm– Height 96’– Spread 119’– Age: 460 years – Sprouted: Approx. 1540
Chestnut OakQuercus prinus
Chestnut OakQuercus prinus
• Height: 60’ to 70’• Max. Height: 130’ to
140’ • Crown spread: 60’ to
70’• Trunk Diameter: 2’ to 3’• Acorns: Third Largest in
the Oak Family.
Chinquapin OakQuercus muehlenbergii
Chinquapin OakQuercus muehlenbergii
• • Height: 40’ to 50’• Crown Spread: 40’ to
50’.• Max. Trunk Diameter: 3’
Bur OakQuercus macrocarpa
Bur OakQuercus macrocarpa
• Height: up to 100’• Diameter: up to 10’• Age: 200 to 300 years
possibly 400 years.• Largest of North
America’s acorns.
Red Oak Subgenus
Northern Red OakQuercus rubra
• Height: 90’ to 140’• Diameter: 20” to 40”• Max Dia. 6’• Typically grown in parks
and used in gardens as large specimen trees.
• Prefers moist, deep, rich and slightly acid soils.
Northern Red OakQuercus rubra
• Chase Creek Red Oak, Md.
• Height: 136’• Diameter 22’• Crown Spread 98’
• Ashford Oak, Conn.• Diameter 26’
Black OakQuercus velutina
Black OakQuercus velutina
• Height: 65’ to 80’• Diameter: up to 35”• Prefer well drained silt-
clay to loamy soils, at elevations up to 4,000’
• Seedlings need full sunlight.
• Produces acorn from 20 years of age to 40 yrs. Lives up to 75 years of age.
Black OakQuercus velutina
Black OakQuercus velutina
Scarlet OakQuercus coccinea
• Height: 60’ to 80’• Dia. 24” to 36”• Typically planted as a
shade tree & for its fall color.
Pin OakQuercus palustris
Pin OakQuercus palustris
• Height: 59’ to 72’• Diameter: 3’• Spread: 26’ to 46’ • Maximum Age 120 years.• Fast growing.• Widely used ornamental tree.• Name is derived from the wood was
once used to make framing pins.• Leaves are deeply cut with “U”
shaped sinuses.• Prefers acidic soils at low elevations.• Acorn not palatable. (Bitter)• Shade intolerant.
Post OakQuercus stellata
Post OakQuercus stellata
• Height: 30’ to 45’• Rare tree reaches 90’ in
height and 56” in dia.• Diameter: 12” to 24”• Leaf has the shape of
the Maltese Cross.
Southern Live OakQuercus virginiana
The Volusia Oak on the St. Johns river in Volusia, Florida.
Southern Live OakQuercus virginiana
• Height: shrub like to 60’ • Crown Spread: Up to 80’• Lower Branches sweep
down then curve upwards.• Re-sprouts vigorously after
fire.• Considered an evergreen
until growth resumes in the spring.
• Ornamentally used to form avenues.
Southern Live OakQuercus virginiana
A specimen at the former Protestant Children’s Home in Mobile, Alabama. It has a trunk circumference of 23 feet (7.0 m), height of 63 feet (19 m) and limb spread of 141 feet (43 m).
The avenue of live oaks at Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, planted in 1743
Southern Live OakQuercus virginiana
The avenue of live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, planted in the early 18th century.
The Angel Oak on Johns Island, South Carolina. The man standing under the tree is 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall.
Southern Live OakQuercus virginiana
• Confusing Common Names.– Virginia Live Oak– Bay Live Oak– Scrub Live Oak– Plateau Oak– Plateau Live Oak– Escarpment Live Oak
The Emancipation Oak in Hampton, Virginia.
Scrub OakQuercus gambelii
Scrub OakQuercus gambelii
• Height: 10’ to 30’, rarely up to 60’ and with heavy browsing dwarf 39” trees will be common.
• Planted in landscapes for fall colors, yellow to orange.
• Planted in landscapes for its short height.
• Prefers full sunlight.• Also called Gambel Oak,
named after botanist William Gambel.