White Oak, one of our most familiar trees, is a common large overstory tree that grows in a wide variety of habitats. The leaves are blue-green and have rounded lobes with deep sinuses.

Person Co., NC 6/10/2009.

The bark on medium-sized branches is broken into broad scaly flakes.

Person Co., NC 6/10/2009.

Male flowers appear in early spring as the trees leaf out.

Haywood Co., NC 5/9/08.

Emerging leaves may be silvery.

Granville Co., NC 4/26/09.

As with most oaks, hybrids with other species are not rare. The photo at left shows an apparent Quercus alba x Quercus michauxii. Compare this hybrid with Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor).

Granville Co., NC 5/1/2011.

Leaves are lobed but not toothed.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.

Galls, which are not uncommon, can be very ornamental.

This is the Wool Sower gall, produced by a gall wasp called the Wool Sower (Callirhytis seminator).

Wake Co., NC 4/26/04.

The bark is pale gray. On medium-sized trees it is often broken into rectangular blocks.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.

Some large trees also have bark broken into rectangular blocks.

Orange Co., NC 10/15/06.

However, the bark on large trees is usually broken into scaly broad plates.

Durham Co., NC 9/10/02.