Quercus alba

White Oak

White Oak is a large native deciduous tree with a pyramidal habit when young and a wide-spreading rounded crown when mature.  The large deeply lobed foliage emerges with a pinkish cast and matures to glossy dark green before turning various shades for fall ranging from uninteresting brown to brilliant red.  The acorns are oval with warty sealed cups.  Best grown in full sun and rich, acidic well-drained soils.  Drought tolerant.

Quercus alba is a highly valuable native host, supporting several types of butterflies and moths including: the Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace's Duskywing, and Juvenal's Duskywing.  The acorns are eaten by various birds and mammals.

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Low Maintenance.  Chlorosis is common in alkaline or neutral soils.  Oaks are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including oak wilt, blight, root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots, and powdery mildew.  Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.

LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Woodland Gardens, Naturalized Areas, Wildlife Gardens,  Privacy Screen, and Shade Tree.

COMPANION PLANTS: Crape Myrtle, Serviceberry, Magnolia

IMAGE: Photo by David J. Stang, Quercus alba 22zz, CC BY-SA 4.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown