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| ## white oak {#white-oak .Title-Header}                               |
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| *Quercus alba* L.                                                     |
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| Plant Symbol = QUAL                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.9965277777777777in"
height="2.2576388888888888in"}

J.S. Peterson

USDA NRCS NPDC

@ PLANTS

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

stave oak

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Wildlife*: Acorns are eaten by squirrels, blue jays, crows, red-headed
woodpeckers, deer, turkey, quail, mice, chipmunks, ducks and raccoons.

*Timber*: White oak's wood is strong and durable for staves for barrels,
lumber, flooring, and interior woodwork.

*Recreation and Beautification*: White oak is an excellent ornamental
tree because of its broad round crown, dense foliage, and purplish-red
to violet-purple fall color.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Quecus alba* L., white oak, grows from Maine to Minnesota southward to
Florida and Texas. It is a large, stately tree that grows up to over 100
feet tall, and 38 to 50 inches in diameter, with a round to wide
spreading irregular crown. White oak bark is whitish or light gray,
varying from scaly to irregularly platy or ridged and furrowed. Leaves
are simple and alternately arranged on the stems; they are 5-6 inches
long and have a rounded tip and wedge-shaped base, with evenly notched
edges; leaves are bright green above and whitish underneath. Male
flowers are green and 2-4 inches long, while female flowers are reddish
and they appear as single spikes with the leaves. White oak acorns are
oval; about a quarter of the acorn body is covered with a cap which
drops off at maturity. There are approximately 120 seeds per pound.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Although found on many soil types, white oak does best on coarse, deep,
moist, well-drained, with medium fertility, and slightly acid soils. It
is well adapted to heavy soils and north and east-facing slopes. Natural
stands are often found in areas with loam and clay soil. White oak is
moderately resistant to ice breakage, sensitive to flooding, and
resistant to salt spray and brief salt-water submergence. It is
sensitive to fire injury, coal smoke, and fly ash deposit on soil
surface.

For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Fall seeding is preferable to spring seeding. White oak acorns have no
dormancy and germinate immediately following seeding. Acorns are drilled
in rows 8 to 10 inches apart, or broadcast and covered with ¼ inch of
firmed soil. In the nursery, seedbed densities of 10 to 35 per square
foot are recommended. Fall sown beds should be mulched to protect the
seeds and seedlings. Partial shade is beneficial for germination.
Seedlings are transplanted after the first year.

Because of its deep root system, white oak is fairly tolerant of a range
of soil conditions and fairly drought tolerant when well established;
however, because it is taprooted, it is difficult to transplant.
Production in the nursery is difficult as well and growth is slow.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

White oak is generally classified as intermediate in its tolerance to
shade. Its tolerance decreases as a tree becomes older and larger.
Thinning combined with fertilization can boost diameter growth. White
oak usually becomes dominant because of its ability to persist for long
periods of time in the understory, its ability to respond well after
thinning, and its great longevity. Even-aged silviculture is most
suitable if oaks are growing in pure or mixed hardwood stands. Reducing
both overstory and understory competition is likely to accelerate the
growth of seedlings.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

White oak is attacked by several insects: leaf eaters including gypsy
moth (*Lymantria dispar*), orangestriped oakworm (*Anisota senatoria*),
oakleaf caterpillar (*Heterocampa manteo*), oak leaf tiers (*Psilocorsis
spp*.) and walkingstick (*Diapheromera femorata*); Golden oak scale
(*Asterolecanium variolosum*); gall forming insects like Cynipid wasps;
and twig pruners, but none of these pose serious insect problems. White
oak is also susceptible to perennial cankers induced by bark diseases
like *Strumella coryneoides* and *Nectria galligena*; root rot caused by
*Armillaria mellea*, *Armillaria tabescens* and *Inonotus dryadeus*;
irregular brown areas on leaves and shoots caused by *Gnomonia veneta*;
and oak blister caused by *Taphrina caerulescens*. The species has good
resistance to oak wilt.

Existing trees are very sensitive to disturbances in their root zones
caused by grading, soil compaction, or changes in drainage patterns; if
severe, these disturbances can lead to mortality.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

Seeds are commercially available at forest seed companies.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator: {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Lincoln Moore*, Forest Biologist

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

Baton Rouge, LA

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060815 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060815-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
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orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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