FNPS Plant Database

Quercus alba

white oak

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

white oak

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Quercus alba

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

to 100 ft tall by to 50 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms early spring (inconspicuous). Acorns ripen in fall. Life span 100+ years.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color, Interesting Foliage, Interesting Bark

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree best suited to settings where its large size can be appreciated. Grown in open settings, it can have a wide spread. Grown in a forested setting it will have a narrower crown.

Considerations:

Annual acorn drop may require cleanup in areas close to residences.

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Slightly acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Mammals

Larval host for brown duskywing butterfly ( Erynnis horatius ), the gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).

Squirrels, racoons, deer and many other animals eat the acorns. 

Native Habitats:

Dry mesic to mesic forests, second bottom, higher levees.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Its peeling bark and rounded lobes set it apart from most other oaks.

Citations:

salt spray tolerance - https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-031/430-031_pdf.pdf http://www.surfcitync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/54/Salt-Tolerant-Plants-PDF https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/B 1477_1.PDF



Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999.  Florida butterfly gardening.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



University of Tennessee Extension Service.  Desired Ph Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants.    https://extension.tennessee.edu/mtnpi/Documents/handouts/Fertility/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf   accessed 2021.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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