![]() Lobes are not bristle-tipped, a chief characteristic of the White Oak group. Lobes differ greatly in their width and length, or looking at it another way, the intervening sinuses differ in the width and depth of the "space" that they create between the lobes. Leaf shape is highly variable in White Oak, but consists of about seven to nine finger-like rounded lobes, with some lobes being sparsely crenate. White Oak has leaves that are alternate and slightly obovate, with the widest portion of the leaf blade being where the longest lobes are located, just above the middle. White Oak is generally a healthy and long-lived oak, with regular but minor cosmetic damage to its leaves and twigs due to chewing insects and pathogens. It thrives in full sun to partial sun but is shade tolerant in youth and is found in zones 4 to 9. White Oak prefers rich, deep, moist, well-drained, acidic soils, but adapts well to dry and average soils that are neutral to slightly alkaline in pH. As the flagship member of the White Oak group and as a member of the Beech Family, it is related to the Beeches, Chestnuts, and other Oaks. It may reach 80 feet tall by 100 feet wide at maturity, when found in the open. White Oak acorns are relatively large and often borne in great abundance. Its canopy is more spreading that most other trees in closely-packed mature forests or in open fields, and its fall color is often reddish-brown to reddish-purple, one of the best Oaks in this regard. It is the most important timber tree of the White Oak group and in fact one of the most important hardwoods, with its hard, heavy, tough wood used as lumber for beams, railroad ties, flooring, barrels, furniture, and many other uses. Like many members of the White Oak group, the undersides of its leaves are white-green, and its wood is a light-colored beige that is almost white when freshly cut hence its common name. ![]() White Oak ( Quercus alba), native to the entire eastern half of the United States, is found throughout all of Ohio, in habitats ranging from dry forests and fields to mesic woodlands and down slopes. Fall 2022 DNAP eNews - Prairie Restoration. ![]()
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