Tree of the Week: White Oak (Quercus alba)

Today we're following up the Quercus lyrata with its close relative, the true White Oak (Quercus alba). This handsome specimen was featured late last year.

In this last week of the summer season, we have had several rainy days, but today the sun is shining bright. Our tree of the week provides much desired shade along the gravel path to the Fitness Center.

The tree has good, upright growth and very few dead branches.

The handsome bark is streaked with late summer sun.

Its large and tasty acorns are preferred by most wildlife (probably due to a reduced tannin content found in the White Oak group), but crops don't come in every year. Last year, there were no acorns at all. This year, some corpulent examples are pictured below.

These big fellas measure over an inch. Note the tiny cap, as compared to the Quercus lyrata and Quercus macrocarpa.

The small acorns behind are for the following year while the developed acorn is part of this year's crop.

The crown of this tree is lush and full. Curiously, several leaves at the top appear to be wrinkled and discolored. Is this a health problem?

Glossy red-brown terminal buds can be seen at the end of twigs.

Axillary buds can be seen underneath the leafstalks.