Quercus alba
White Oak
Eastern to midwestern United States
Pyramidal in youth, becoming rounded with horizontal branches. Slow to medium growth rate, slower with great age.
Full sun in deep, moist, rich, well-drained acid soils.
Not commonly planted as a landscape tree; usually taprooted and is therefore difficult to transplant. Mildly sensitive to environmental changes during site development.
Lustrous dark green in summer, rounded, numerous, finger-like lobes with sinuses generally extending halfway to leaf axil. Alternate, simple, 4 to 9 inches long, 5 to 9 rounded, entire lobes.
Buds are red-brown to brown, .125 to .25 inches long.
Light-gray in color, ridged and furrowed.
Gray-green monoecious, male in catkins, female in solitary to many-flowered spikes in leaf axils.
Light chestnut brown nut (acorn) .5 to 1 inch long with involucre (cup) only covering one quarter of nut.
Seed.
'Southern Cross' - Unique hybrid, back-cross of (Q. alba x Q. michauxii) x Q. michauxii).