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Quercus macrocarpa
Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, Quercus sect. Quercus, and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, or scrub oak. The acorns are the largest of any North American oak (thus the species name macrocarpa, from Ancient Greek μακρός makrós "large" and καρπός karpós "fruit"), and are important food for wildlife.
Quercus macrocarpa is a large deciduous tree growing up to 30 metres (98 feet), rarely 50 m (160 ft), in height, and is one of the most massive oaks with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m (10 ft). It is one of the slowest-growing oaks, with a growth rate of 30 centimetres (12 in) per year when young. However, one source states that a well-established tree can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) per year.[unreliable source?] A 20-year-old tree will be about 18 m (60 ft) tall if grown in full sun.[citation needed] Naturally occurring saplings in forests will typically be older. Bur oaks commonly live to be 200 to 300 years old, and may live up to 400 years. The bark is gray with distinct vertical ridges.
The leaves are 7–15 cm (2+3⁄4–6 in) long and 5–13 cm (2–5 in) broad, variable in shape, with a lobed margin. Most often, the basal two-thirds is narrower and deeply lobed, while the apical third is wider and has shallow lobes or large teeth. They usually do not show strong fall color, although fine golden hues are occasionally seen. The flowers are greenish-yellow catkins, produced in the spring. The acorns are very large, 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) broad, having a large cup that wraps much of the way around the nut, with large overlapping scales and often a fringe at the edge of the cup.
The wood when sawn transversely shows the characteristic annual rings formed by secondary thickening.
Bur oak is sometimes confused with other members of the white oak section, such as Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak), Quercus lyrata (overcup oak), and Quercus alba (white oak). It hybridises with several other species of oaks.
Two varieties are accepted in Kew's Plants of the World Online:
Quercus macrocarpa is widespread in the Atlantic coastal plain from New Brunswick to North Carolina, west as far as Alberta, eastern Montana, Wyoming, and northeastern New Mexico. The vast majority of the populations are found in the eastern Great Plains, the Mississippi–Missouri–Ohio Valley, and the Great Lakes region. The bur oak's range extends farther north than any other North American oak, but the oak tends to be smaller and shrubby at the northern and eastern limits of its range.
Bur oaks primarily grow in a temperate climate on the western oak–hickory forested regions in the United States and into Canada. It commonly grows in the open, away from dense forest canopy. For this reason, it is an important tree on the eastern prairies, often found near waterways in otherwise more forested areas, where there is a break in the canopy. It is drought resistant, possibly because of its long taproot. At the end of the growing season, a one-year sapling may have a taproot 1.37 m (4+1⁄2 ft) deep and a lateral root spread of 76 cm (2+1⁄2 ft). The bur oak shows a preference for limestone or other calcareous soils. The West Virginia state champion bur oak has a trunk diameter of almost 3 m (10 ft).
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Quercus macrocarpa
Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, Quercus sect. Quercus, and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, or scrub oak. The acorns are the largest of any North American oak (thus the species name macrocarpa, from Ancient Greek μακρός makrós "large" and καρπός karpós "fruit"), and are important food for wildlife.
Quercus macrocarpa is a large deciduous tree growing up to 30 metres (98 feet), rarely 50 m (160 ft), in height, and is one of the most massive oaks with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m (10 ft). It is one of the slowest-growing oaks, with a growth rate of 30 centimetres (12 in) per year when young. However, one source states that a well-established tree can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) per year.[unreliable source?] A 20-year-old tree will be about 18 m (60 ft) tall if grown in full sun.[citation needed] Naturally occurring saplings in forests will typically be older. Bur oaks commonly live to be 200 to 300 years old, and may live up to 400 years. The bark is gray with distinct vertical ridges.
The leaves are 7–15 cm (2+3⁄4–6 in) long and 5–13 cm (2–5 in) broad, variable in shape, with a lobed margin. Most often, the basal two-thirds is narrower and deeply lobed, while the apical third is wider and has shallow lobes or large teeth. They usually do not show strong fall color, although fine golden hues are occasionally seen. The flowers are greenish-yellow catkins, produced in the spring. The acorns are very large, 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) broad, having a large cup that wraps much of the way around the nut, with large overlapping scales and often a fringe at the edge of the cup.
The wood when sawn transversely shows the characteristic annual rings formed by secondary thickening.
Bur oak is sometimes confused with other members of the white oak section, such as Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak), Quercus lyrata (overcup oak), and Quercus alba (white oak). It hybridises with several other species of oaks.
Two varieties are accepted in Kew's Plants of the World Online:
Quercus macrocarpa is widespread in the Atlantic coastal plain from New Brunswick to North Carolina, west as far as Alberta, eastern Montana, Wyoming, and northeastern New Mexico. The vast majority of the populations are found in the eastern Great Plains, the Mississippi–Missouri–Ohio Valley, and the Great Lakes region. The bur oak's range extends farther north than any other North American oak, but the oak tends to be smaller and shrubby at the northern and eastern limits of its range.
Bur oaks primarily grow in a temperate climate on the western oak–hickory forested regions in the United States and into Canada. It commonly grows in the open, away from dense forest canopy. For this reason, it is an important tree on the eastern prairies, often found near waterways in otherwise more forested areas, where there is a break in the canopy. It is drought resistant, possibly because of its long taproot. At the end of the growing season, a one-year sapling may have a taproot 1.37 m (4+1⁄2 ft) deep and a lateral root spread of 76 cm (2+1⁄2 ft). The bur oak shows a preference for limestone or other calcareous soils. The West Virginia state champion bur oak has a trunk diameter of almost 3 m (10 ft).