Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1326 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
QUERCUS ALBA L. WHITE OAK
(FAGACEAE, BEECH OR OAK FAMILY)
Other Common Names: STAVE OAK, RIDGE WHITE OAK, FORKED-LEAF WHITE OAK, EASTERN WHITE OAK
Form and Size: medium to tall tree to 25(–35) m; trunk tall, straight in the forest or short and soon branching in open
fields, 0.6–1.5 m in diameter; crown broad and rounded.
Leaves: deciduous, simple, alternate, the blades (7.9–)12–10(–23) cm long, (4–)7–11(–16.5) cm wide, light gray-green and
dull or glossy above, light green below, with numerous whitish or reddish erect hairs, these quickly shed as leaf expands,
usually widest above the middle to almost uniformly wide along the sides, basally tapering, apically broadly rounded
or ovate, marginally moderately to deeply lobed, the lobes often narrow, rounded distally, without bristle tips, the sinuses
between lobes extending 1/3–7/8 distance to midrib; petiole stout, usually grooved above, (4–)10–25(–30) mm long.
Buds: ca. 3 mm long (terminal), dark reddish brown, ovoid, apically obtuse, glabrous.
Flowers: unisexual, male and female flowers produced separately on the current year’s branchlets (plants monoecious),
individually tiny and inconspicuous; male flowers numerous in drooping catkins 6.2–7.5 cm long; female flowers usually
2–4 on a short stalk in leaf axils.
Fruits: acorns, solitary or 2–3 together, maturing in 1 season, nearly sessile or with a short peduncle to 25(–50) mm long;
cup enclosing 1/4 of nut; nut ovoid-ellipsoid or oblong, (12–)15–21(–25) mm long, 9–18 mm wide.
Bark: usually light ash gray or light gray, sometimes with a reddish-brown cast, with shallow to deep lengthwise fissures
separating small scaly blocks or narrow rounded ridges.
Wood: sapwood whitish to light brown, thin or thick; heartwood rich light brown to dark brown; wood usually straightand
close-grained, heavy, hard, tough, strong, and durable (all of these characteristics make it valuable); historically this
was one of the most important hardwoods of North America); growth rings distinct except in slow-grown stock.
Habitat: stream bottom woods, mixed forests on mesic lower slopes and terraces and mesic to dry-mesic uplands.
Range: Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah, the species was historically collected as far west as Dallas; widespread in the
eastern U.S. west to KS and TX.
Principal Uses: furniture, flooring (widely used because of hardness, resistance to abrasion, and ability to finish smoothly
with an attractive figure), interior paneling, cabinets, barrels (used especially for wine and spirits—the wood is excellent
for holding liquids because of the presence of tyloses, which are microscopic structures that decrease permeability—
because of the extensive use in making barrel staves, this species is sometimes called STAVE OAK), railroad ties, firewood.
Historical Uses: principal oak species used for furniture, shipbuilding, mine timbers, poles, farm vehicles, planing-mill
products, railroad cars, railroad ties, boxes, crates, pallets, caskets and coffins, barrel staves, handles, and firewood. It
was used for shipbuilding by the first U.S. Navy and on ship decks until World War II. Some of the first objects made
from WHITE OAK were casks called “pipes” for wine and other liquids.
Other Significant Information: the acorns are rich in fat and protein and were a staple of the American Indian diet. In the
past Quercus alba was the most commercially important and valued hardwood species in North America and was
used widely for furniture and shipbuilding. It has been largely replaced by various red oaks that are more common and
have faster growth and greater yields. The red oaks lack tyloses and therefore are better suited for pressure treating with
preservatives. WHITE OAK is a long-lived species, with some individuals up to 600 years old or even older.
Recognition in the Field: leaves simple, alternate, light gray-green, ± glabrous, moderately to deeply lobed, the lobes variable
but often narrow, without bristle tips; fruits acorns with cup covering 1/4 of nut.