Common Name: Oak, White
Latin Name: Quercus alba
Address: 2344 Old Lynchburg Road, Charlottesville Va, 22903
Coordinates: 37.946702, -78.578274
The white oak is one of the most beloved and enduring shade trees of eastern North America. Capable of reaching heights of 100 feet or more, it is a magnificent tree with wide-spreading branches and a broad, rounded crown. Its stout trunk divides irregularly into massive, often horizontal limbs, giving mature white oaks their unmistakable character and presence.
In spring, slender catkins appear just before or alongside the emergence of new leaves. The leaves are rounded and deeply lobed, emerging green in spring and summer before turning rich burgundy in the fall. Unlike many deciduous trees, white oak leaves often remain attached well into winter, adding texture and interest to the landscape long after most other trees have gone bare.
White oak is among the most important members of the white oak group, valued for both its beauty and its exceptionally strong, durable wood. Its lumber has long been prized for furniture, flooring, and specialty products, including wine and whiskey barrels. In colonial America, white oak was also an important material for shipbuilding.
Its acorns are among the most nutritious and sought-after foods available to wildlife, providing an important source of nourishment for birds, deer, and rodents. Leaf buds provide food for several species of birds, while deer browse on the leaves, twigs, and other parts of the tree.
The white oak has also played a remarkable role in American history. Oak lumber was used in the construction of the famous USS Constitution, affectionately known as “Old Ironsides.” More than a century later, white oak continued to serve the nation during World War II, when its strong, durable timber was used in the construction of keels for minesweepers and patrol boats.
20th-century naturalist Donald Peattie, wrote: “If oak is the king of trees, as tradition has it, then the white oak, throughout its range, is the king of kings.”
NOTE: This tree was originally identified as a Chestnut Oak, but a closer look established that it is Quercus alba.
Revised: September, 2026