Hardiest of the white oaks with a deeply grooved massive trunk and a wide-spreading crown of huge branches. Small branches are distinctively corky, winged and tend to twist and kink. The habit is upright and somewhat vase-shaped.
Lustrous dark green foliage and large 1–2" acorns, each almost entirely enclosed in a fringed cup. These are edible and low in tannic acid; when roasted they supposedly make a decent coffee substitute.
The most urban-tolerant oak. Fairly fast growing. Needs full sun but adaptable to a wide range of soil types including clay. Native to eastern U.S. and Canada. Z3. (1-3' bare-root trees)
Items from our perennial plants warehouse ordered
on or before March 7 will ship around March 26
through late April, starting with warmer areas and finishing in
colder areas. Orders placed after March 7 will
ship around late April through early-to-mid May, in the order in
which they were received.
ships in spring
7499
Bur Oak
Additional Information
Oaks Quercus spp.
Many oaks are native to New England. They are generally divided into two
groups: the reds and the whites. The reds have pointier leaves and the
whites
have rounder ones. Most of them make absolutely breathtaking shade
trees,
creating a major presence in almost any landscape and providing
bountiful forage
for wildlife and for humans. The strongly astringent inner bark, foliage
and
acorn caps are all medicinal, and acorns were an extremely important
human food
source for thousands of years. Contrary to much of the literature, all
acorns
are edible, both reds and whites. (For detailed instructions on acorn
processing, see Samuel Thayer’s book, Nature’s
Garden.) The
tannins from a handful of oak leaves added to homemade half-sours will
keep
pickles crisp for months. Oaks are monoecious so you need only
one to
get fruit.
