Pronounced (approximate): KWER-kus AL-ba
A native oak with rounded leaf lobes and acorns in shallow, scaly cups. The leaf-and-acorn photograph offers a useful comparison with the foliage views.
White Oak: select the photograph for a closer look.
Family: Fagaceae
Growth form: Deciduous tree
Habitat: Upland woods and well-drained sites
Key feature: Rounded leaf lobes
Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.
Look in upland woodland and well-drained sites. Late-season leaves and acorns offer useful identification details.
Other white-oak-group species also have rounded lobes. Bur Oak has a conspicuously fringed acorn cup; Swamp White Oak typically has shallower leaf lobes and stalked acorns.
Mature bark becomes light gray and scaly. Tree form alone does not reliably distinguish White Oak from its relatives.
The gallery shows the rounded lobes and variable depth of the leaf sinuses. Compare several leaves from the same tree.
The shallow cup leaves most of the nut exposed. Acorn structure is particularly helpful when comparing similar oaks.
3 field photographs. Select a photograph to enlarge it and browse the slideshow.
Native to eastern North America, including the Midwest.
Field photographs: Where’s Wildlife.
The Morton Arboretum: White Oak · UW–Madison Extension: Tree Identification
Spotted a possible identification error or have an observation to share? Leave a comment below. For an ID correction, include the photo filename and the features that support your suggestion.