Trees in the White Oak Family

Types and Geography

• The white oak (Quercus alba), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) and chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) are common oaks across much of the eastern half of the United States. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is a white oak species of the central portion of the nation, while overcup oak (Quercus lyrata), post oak (Quercus stellata), Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii) and swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii) are white oak members found in the Southeast. Western species of white oaks include Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), California white oak (Quercus lobata) and the Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii).

Size

• White oak and overcup oak grow to between 80 and 100 feet with ease, while the California white oak, the tallest of all western oak species, sometimes reaches 120 feet high. Species in the white oak family like the bur oak and chinkapin oak grow between 60 and 80 feet. White oaks about 50 feet high when mature include Chapman oak and chestnut oak. Smaller white oaks such as post oak can be 40 feet high; the smallest of the white oaks is the Gambel oak, at between 15 and 30 feet.

White Oak Foliage

• The foliage is often the highlight of the white oak group. Fall color on some gives them value as landscaping trees, while others have an interesting shape. The chinkapin oak has oblong leaves that have coarse teeth along their margins. The leathery-textured foliage on a Chapman oak has wavy, undulating margins. Fall color is good on species such as the swamp white oak, as its leaves change to yellow or red-purple. The fall foliage on white oak is a reddish shade of purple.

Uses

• The tall stature of many of the white oak trees makes them inappropriate for small landscapes. Species such as the white oak and the bur oak work only in open areas as shade trees on lawns or sometimes in parks. Smaller sorts, such as post oak, work as a street tree or a lawn tree. Many of these oaks have few if any cultivars. Swamp white oak does come in a pair of useful forms. One is "Regal Prince," a type that adapts to wet and dry soils, while "Rosehill" has disease-resistant foliage.