Carolina Nature

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Fagales>Fagaceae>Quercus alba L.

White Oak (Quercus alba) leaves

The stately White Oak, one of our most familiar trees, is a large overstory tree that grows in a wide variety of habitats. When open grown, White Oak is pyramidal in shape when young, but large trees have a distinctively round canopy shape.

White Oak is common throughout North Carolina and the eastern United States and Canada, found from Texas to Quebec and Maine, Minnesota to Florida.

The leaves are blue-green above and have rounded lobes with deep sinuses.

Person Co., NC 6/10/2009.

White Oak (Quercus alba) leaves

Leaf undersides are glaucous (whitish).

Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.

White Oak (Quercus alba) leaves

The bark on medium-sized branches is broken into broad scaly flakes.

Person Co., NC 6/10/2009.

White Oak (Quercus alba) flowers

Male flowers appear in early spring as the trees leaf out.

Haywood Co., NC 5/9/08.

White Oak (Quercus alba) leaves

Emerging leaves may be silvery.

Granville Co., NC 4/26/09.

White Oak (Quercus alba) x Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus michauxii) hybrid

As with most oaks, hybrids with other species are not rare. The photo at left shows an apparent Quercus alba x Quercus michauxii. Compare this hybrid with Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor).

Granville Co., NC 5/1/2011.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Leaves are lobed but not toothed.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Galls, which are not uncommon, can be very ornamental.

This is the Wool Sower gall, produced by a gall wasp called the Wool Sower (Callirhytis seminator).

Wake Co., NC 4/26/04.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

The bark is pale gray. On medium-sized trees it is often broken into rectangular blocks.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Some large trees also have bark broken into rectangular blocks.

Orange Co., NC 10/15/06.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

However, the bark on large trees is usually broken into scaly broad plates.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.

More information:
NC State Fact Sheet
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
Silvics Manual
Virginia Tech Dendrology

Recommended Tree, Shrub, and Woody Vine Identification Guides