Quercus macrocarpa
bur oak
Bur oak is a classic tree of the American savanna. Q. macrocarpa has sheltered the Great Plains for centuries even where other tree species have made attempts but failed. It is a member of the the white oak family. The bur oak acorn cup has a burry fringe and is a major identifier along with the leaf's large middle sinus that gives it a "pinched waist" look. Corky ridges often adorn the twigs.
Photos Used by Permission - Paul Wray, ForestryImages.org
Start with the Tree Finder if you are not sure what kind of tree you have!
Bur Oak - 2001 Tree of the Year
Bur Oak Habitat and Culture
(silvics courtesy of Silvics Manual, USFS)
Fire Effects On Bur Oak
(courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Fire Effects)
From Virginia Tech w/Photos
(Big List courtesy of VT Dendrology)
North American Timber Types
(courtesy About Forestry)
The Great American Hardwood Forest
(courtesy About Forestry)
Recent Champion: 96' height, 103' spread, 322" circumf., Paris, Kentucky
National Register of Big Trees
Oak Wood Tech Sheet
(fact sheet courtesy of USFS in .pdf)
Bur Oak Images
(courtesy of ForestryImages.org)
Historic Bur Oak Images
(courtesy of University of Chicago and the Library of Congress)
Buy a Bur Oak Online
(Nurseries selling seedlings online)
Range Map
-The native range of bur oak, USFS.
Quick Stats
Common Names: blue oak, mossy-overcup oak, mossy-overcup oak, and scrub oak
Habitat: Dry uplands on sandy and loamy soils
Description: The largest acorns of all native oaks and is very drought resistant
Uses: The wood is commercially valuable and marketed as white oak
