Quercus albaWhite Oak

Quercus alba is the defining hardwood of the eastern North American forest, a broad, heavy-limbed tree that outlives everything planted alongside it and takes the better part of a century to look its best. Leaves with rounded lobes turn wine-red and russet in autumn and hang on young growth well into winter.

It is not a tree for hot arid regions and should not be offered as one. It wants deep, moist, slightly acid soil and a temperate climate, and its deep taproot makes it one of the more difficult large trees to transplant successfully.

Specifications

• Height20 to 30 metres
• Width20 to 30 metres
• Native toEastern North America
• FoliageLeaves with rounded lobes, turning wine-red and russet in autumn; deciduous
• Growth rateSlow

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep, moist, well-drained, slightly acid soil; dislikes shallow, alkaline or compacted ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; needs reliable soil moisture and is not drought-hardy in the way several other oaks are
• ClimateThrives in temperate regions with cold winters and reliable rainfall

Additional Features

• UsesParkland, estate and campus planting on large sites, and long-term legacy planting
• SpacingPlant 15 to 20 metres apart; the crown eventually spreads as wide as the tree stands tall
• Low MaintenanceFormative pruning only; established trees need almost nothing
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust, though oak wilt and gall wasps occur through parts of its native range
• FruitAcorns are borne from about twenty years of age and mature within a single season
• Wildlife AttractionAcorns and foliage support an exceptional range of insects, birds and mammals
• LongevityIndividual trees commonly live 200 to 300 years and sometimes considerably longer
• Seasonal AppealWine-red and russet autumn colour, held late into the season

The White Oak is a legacy tree for temperate parkland, planted for the century after next rather than for the opening ceremony.