| White oak | |
|---|---|
| |
| A large white oak in New Jersey | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercus subg. Quercus |
| Section: | Quercus sect. Quercus |
| Species: | Q. alba
|
| Binomial name | |
| Quercus alba | |
| |
| Natural range | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
List
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Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas.[3] Specimens have been documented to be over 450 years old.[4]
Although called a white oak, it is very unusual to find an individual specimen with white bark; the usual colour is a light gray. The name comes from the colour of the finished wood. In the forest it can reach a magnificent height and in the open it develops into a massive broad-topped tree with large branches striking out at wide angles.[5]
- ^ Kenny, L.; Wenzell, K. (2015). "Quercus alba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T194051A2295268. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T194051A2295268.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Quercus alba". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ "Quercus alba". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ "Eastern OLDLIST: A database of maximum tree ages for Eastern North America".
- ^ Keeler, Harriet L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 328–332. ISBN 0-87338-838-0.