A deciduous tree, usually 12 – 20 m high when planted in parks and gardens but can reach about 40 m high in its natural environment.
Its low, wide-spreading and rounded canopy is usually 10 – 18 m wide. Its trunk is typically short, with ridged dark grey to black bark.
Dark green and oval to rectangular in shape with 3 – 7 rounded lobes on either side. They are 7.5 – 12.5 cm long and have a very short stem. They are pale blue-green underneath and turn tan to brown in autumn, before falling from the tree in late winter.
Tiny, green to pale yellow, hanging in slim, cylindrical clusters (known as catkins).
Oval acorns, 2 – 2.5 cm long, grow singly or in clusters of 2 – 5 at the end of a 5 – 10 cm long stalk. A cap covers about one third of each acorn.
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First fully open single flower
Full flowering (record all days)
End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
First fully open leaf
Leaves open (record all days)
Seeds (acorns) dropped to the ground (record all days)
First leaf to change colour
First leaf to drop this year
Leaves changing colour (record all days)
50% or more of leaves dropped (record all days)
No leaves (record all days)
White Oak (Quercus alba) doesn’t have the earlike lobes at the base of its leaves, or the very short leaf stalks.
