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     Latin name: Quercus alba
Common name: White oak

Quercus alba winter habitQuercus alba summer habitQuercus alba, white oak habit in fall
The White oak has been the state tree of Illinois since 1973.  The pictures above show the winter, summer and spring habits of a Quercus alba located near Parking 20.

Quercus alba with new leavesIn this picture, which is the same tree as the pictures above, the White oak appears to have a lot of white flowers, but that would be strange since the White oak DOESN'T have white flowers. Look at the photo below to solve the mystery.

Quercus alba close up picture of  new leaves and flowers (catkins)The white objects on the tree are actually newly emerged leaves. Flowers are present in the spring. In this photo of a white oak you can see the male flowers which are green, drooping catkins.

Picture of White oak twig with spring terminal buds Picture of White oak twig with newly emerged leaves and catkinsPictures of White oak taken on April 13, 2004 and April 21, 2004. These pictures are of the same branch. The White Oak is monoecious with pendulous male catkins that emerge at the same time as the leaves. There are also small female flowers on each tree, but I do not seem to have any photographs of female flowers. Scroll down to see the animation at the bottom of the page!!

Fall colors of Quercus alba leavesBrown leaves of white oak may remain on tree all winterLeaves are deeply lobed and dark and glossy in appearance. The fall colors of the Quercus alba can have stunning, with leaves turning orange and red. They will eventually turn brown and may remain on the tree all winter.

Photo of white oak acorns in springWhite oak acorns on ground in early OctoberThe acorns appear above the leaves and may be in rather large clusters. Acorns of the White oak require only 1 season to mature. In mid July, the caps cover nearly the entire acorn. My mid August, the cap covers less than half of the acorn. By early October, most of the acorns will be on the ground. In most cases, the cap will have separated from the rest of acorn, but in cases where they are still together, the cap will cover 1/3 or less of the acorn.

                   
Kingdom:  Plantae -- Plants
  Subkingdom:  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
  Superdivision:  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants
  Division:  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants
  Class:  Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons
  Subclass:  Hamamelidae
  Order:  Fagales
  Family:  Fagaceae -- Beech family
  Genus: Quercus L. -- oak
  Species:  Quercus alba L. -- white oak

Source for classification listing: USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. 


Move your mouse in and out of the picture below to see the blooming animation.
The photos were taken on April 8, 2004 and April 21, 2004. Same buds similar size and angle.


Karren Wcisel © copyright 1999 - 2008

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