We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Quercus macrocarpa - Michx.

Common Name Burr Oak, Mossy Cup Oak
Family Fagaceae
USDA hardiness 3-8
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Found in a variety of habitats from dry hillsides to moist bottomlands, rich woods and fertile slopes, mainly on limestone soils[43, 229].
Range Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Manitoba, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Georgia, Kansas and Texas.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Quercus macrocarpa Burr Oak, Mossy Cup Oak


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jean-Pol_GRANDMONT
Quercus macrocarpa Burr Oak, Mossy Cup Oak
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jean-Pol_GRANDMONT

 

Translate this page:

Summary

Bloom Color: Brown. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Rounded, Spreading or horizontal.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Quercus macrocarpa is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed
Edible Uses:

Seed - cooked[101, 105, 161, 257]. Very large, the seed can be up to 5cm x 4cm[82, 200], though it is somewhat variable in size and shape[227]. The seed can be ground into a powder and used in making bread, dumplings etc and as a thickener in soups[183]. The seed of this species is considered to be one of the most palatable of all the oaks[159, 183]. Many trees have sweet seeds with little tannin and the seed can be eaten raw or cooked. If the seed is bitter then this is due to the presence of tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the dried and ground up seed in water, though many minerals will also be lost. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antispasmodic  Astringent  Dysentery  Tonic

The bark is astringent and tonic[61]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[257]. A decoction of the root or inner bark has been used in the treatment of cramps[257]. Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[4].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

Other Uses

Mordant  Repellent  Tannin  Wood

Agroforestry Uses: The tree has been widely tested for use in rehabilitation of the soil. It has been successfully planted on coal spoils in the north-central and northern Great Plains, and in the Western Interior Coal Province which encompasses Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It may be either seeded or transplanted onto disturbed areas[1050 ]. Other Uses: The leaves of most species in this genus are more or less rich in tannins. A mulch of the leaves can be placed around vulnerable plants in order to repel slugs, snails, grubs etc. Fresh leaves should be used with caution, since these can utilize some of the nitrogen in the soil and this inhibit plant growth[20 , K ]. Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[4 ]. The bark has been used as a mordant for fixing dyes[257 ]. The wood is hard, heavy, strong, tough, very durable, close grained. It weighs about 46lb per cubic metre[227 ]. This species is of considerable importance as a timber tree, it is used for all types of construction, in making baskets, flooring, cabinet making, ship building, cooperagem fence posts etc[46 , 61 , 82 , 149 , 171 , 227 , 229 , 338 ]. The wood is a good fuel[82 ].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Firewood, Pest tolerant, Aggressive surface roots possible, Specimen. Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[11]. Lime tolerant[188]. Succeeds in a hot dry position. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[200]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[200]. A slow-growing tree[188]. Established plants are drought resistant[229] and tolerant of atmospheric pollution[226]. Trees have a thick, fire-resistant bark[274]. Occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties[183]. Slow growing in the wild, it takes about 30 years to start producing seed, though it then continues to crop for the next 200 - 300 years with large crops being produced every 2 - 3 years[229]. The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed ripening in its first year[200, 229]. Prefers warmer summers than are usually experienced in Britain, often growing poorly in this country and failing to properly ripen its wood, resulting in frost damage overwinter[11, 200]. A tree at the Hillier Arboretum in Hampshire was growing well in September 1993. It was 9 metres tall but had a lot of mildew, there was no sign of seeds[K]. There is a dwarf form of this species:- Q. macrocarpa depressa (Nutt.)Engelm. grows about 2 metres tall with corky branches and smaller seeds than the species, usually about 1cm long[227]. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[200]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200]. Special Features:North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk [1-2]. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down [1-2].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

Plant Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[11]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada, Québec (south), Ontario (south), New Brunswick, Saskatchewan (southeast), Manitoba (south), United States, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana (southeast), Wyoming (northeast), Alabama (southeast), Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas,

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Quercus × schuetteiSchuette's oakTree18.0 4-8 FMHNMWe303
Quercus acutaJapanese Evergreen OakTree25.0 6-9 MMHSNM222
Quercus acutissimaSawthorn OakTree5.0 5-9 MMHSNM223
Quercus agrifoliaEncina, California live oak, Coast Live OakTree15.0 8-11 SMHSNM322
Quercus albaWhite Oak, Hybrid oakTree20.0 3-9 SMHSNDM324
Quercus alienaOriental White OakTree20.0 4-8  MHSNM222
Quercus aucheriBoz-Pirnal OakShrub5.0 7-10 SMHSNDM421
Quercus bicolorSwamp White OakTree25.0 4-8 MMHSNMWe423
Quercus brantiiBarro, Brant's oakTree8.0 7-9 FLMHNDM323
Quercus cerrisTurkey Oak, European turkey oakTree35.0 5-9 FMHSNM322
Quercus chrysolepisLive Oak, Canyon live oakTree25.0 8-11 SMHSNM222
Quercus cocciferaKermes OakShrub4.0 5-9  MHSNM323
Quercus coccineaScarlet OakTree25.0 4-8 MMHSNM223
Quercus dentataJapanese Emperor Oak, Daimyo oakTree20.0 4-8 FMHSNM222
Quercus douglasiiBlue OakTree12.0 8-11 SMHSNDM324
Quercus durataCalifornia Scrub Oak, Leather oakShrub4.0 7-10  MHSNM222
Quercus ellipsoidalisNorthern Pin OakTree20.0 4-6 MMHSNM223
Quercus emoryiBlack Oak, Emory oakTree12.0 6-9 SMHSNM323
Quercus engelmanniiEvergreen Oak, Engelmann oak, Mesa OakTree10.0 8-11 MMHSNM223
Quercus falcataSouthern Red Oak, Cherrybark Oak, Spanish Oak, Southern Red OakTree25.0 7-9 MMHSNM122
Quercus floribunda Tree0.0 -  MHSNM223
Quercus frainettoHungarian Oak, Italian Oak, Forest Green OakTree30.0 5-8 FMHSNM422
Quercus fruticosaGall Oak, Lusitanian OakShrub2.0 7-10  MHNM322
Quercus gambeliiShin Oak, Gambel oak, Rocky Mountain White OakShrub4.5 4-8 SMHSNDM323
Quercus garryanaOregon White Oak, Garry OakTree18.0 7-9 SMHSNM223
Quercus glaucaRing-cup oak , Ring Cupped Oak, Blue Japanese OakTree15.0 8-9 SMHSNM323
Quercus hispanica Tree20.0 6-9  MHSNM323
Quercus ilexHolly Oak, Evergreen OakTree25.0 7-10 SLMHSNM523
Quercus ilex ballotaHolm OakTree25.0 6-9 SLMHSNM523
Quercus imbricariaShingle Oak, Northern Laurel OakTree20.0 4-8 MMHSNM223
123

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Michx.

Botanical References

1143200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Quercus macrocarpa  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.