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Quercus alba - L.

Common Name White Oak, Hybrid oak
Family Fagaceae
USDA hardiness 3-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Dry woods[43], gravelly ridges, sandy plains, rich uplands and moist bottoms[82]. The best specimens are found in deep rich well-drained loamy soils[229].
Range Eastern N. America - Maine to Florida, west to Texas and Minnesota.
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 alba White Oak, Hybrid oak


Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Quercus alba White Oak, Hybrid oak

 

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Summary

Bloom Color: Brown. Form: Pyramidal, Rounded.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Quercus alba is a deciduous Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to 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. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed
Edible Uses: Coffee

Seed - raw or cooked[226]. Somewhat sweet[229]. The seed is about 1 - 3cm long[200] and ripens in its first year[235]. It contains about 6% protein and 65% carbohydrates[213]. It is low in tannin and needs little if any leaching. It is said that those seeds with red or pink blotches on the shell are the sweetest[183]. Any bitter tannins can be leached out by thoroughly washing the dried and ground up seed in water, though many minerals will also be lost. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. 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 seed can be roasted and then eaten, its taste is something like a cross between sunflower seeds and popcorn[183]. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute that is free from caffeine[226].

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.
Antiseptic  Astringent  Dysentery  Tonic

White oak was often used medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes, who valued it especially for its antiseptic and astringent properties and used it in the treatment of many complaints[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. The inner bark contains 6 - 11% tannin, it has powerful antiseptic and astringent properties and is also expectorant and tonic[61, 102, 213, 257]. The bark is boiled and the liquid drunk in the treatment of bleeding piles and diarrhoea, intermittent fevers, coughs and colds, consumption, asthma, lost voice etc[213, 257]. The bark has been chewed as a treatment for mouth sores[257]. Externally, it is used as a wash for skin eruptions, burns, rashes, bruises, ulcers etc and as a vaginal douche[222, 257]. It has also been used as a wash for muscular pains[257]. The bark is best collected in the spring[213]. 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

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Other Uses

Fuel  Repellent  Tannin  Wood

Agroforestry Uses: White oak is potentially valuable for use in reforestation projects, and appears to have potential for use on other types of disturbed sites. It has been planted on strip-mined lands in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and has exhibited good growth and survival on cast overburden and graded topsoil overlying mine spoils. It is well adapted to loamy and clayey spoils with a pH of 5.5 to 8.0[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 ]. The bark is a rich source of tannin[171 , 226 ]. 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 ]. A brown dye is obtained from the bark or from the galls, it does not require a mordant[226 ]. Yellow, chrome and gold can also be obtained if mordants are used[226 ]. The wood is strong, very heavy, hard, tough, strong, close grained, durable[46 , 82 , 171 , 213 , 227 ]. It weighs about 46lb per cubic foot[227 ].When properly dried treated, the wood glues well, machines very well and accepts a variety of finishes One of the most important timbers in N. America, it is used for cabinet making, furniture, panelling, flooring, construction, mine props, agricultural tools etc[46 , 82 , 171 , 213 , 1050 ]. It is highly valued for making the staves of barrels for storing wine and liquor[274 , 338 ]. The wood is a good fuel giving off a lot of heat[46, 1050 ]. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Firewood, Pest tolerant, Specimen, Street tree. Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[1, 11]. Lime tolerant[188]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[200]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[200]. The white oak prefers warmer summers than are usually experienced in Britain, trees often grow poorly in this country and fail to properly ripen their wood resulting in frost damage over the winter[200]. There are, however, a number of trees 20 metres tall in Britain, mainly in the south-east of the country[11]. Sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties[183]. Trees take about 30 years before they start to bear good crops of seed, they then have heavy crops about every 3 years with light crops in the other years[227]. They continue to yield commercial crops for about 120 years[227]. The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed ripening in its first year[200, 229]. Intolerant of root disturbance, trees should be planted in their permanent positions whilst young, though they may require protection for the first winter or two[11]. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[200]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200]. Special Features:Attracts birds, North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 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

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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

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

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 :

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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.

 

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Readers comment

F.Fuller   Thu Nov 8 2007

Can Quercus alba be purchased in the UK if so which nursery? Also is quercus alba hardy enough to grow in East Anglia. Thanks.

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