Spectacular broad irregularly rounded oak with low-lying branches that stretch out horizontally from the trunk, sometimes as far as 50'. Bark is finely grooved and etched. Wood is valued for lumber and firewood.
Once common along the Maine coast, it was almost entirely stripped for boat-building lumber more than a century ago. Some extremely fine specimens in Maine grow on Swan Island in the Kennebec River.
Soil adaptable, though prefers deep moist well-drained acid conditions, full sun. Thrives where fallen leaves can be left around the base; avoid soil compaction, even foot traffic. Disease and insect resistant, drought tolerant. Slow growing and extremely long-lived. Native to eastern U.S. 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
7497
White 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.
