Quercus alba, commonly called white oak, is a large deciduous Missouri native tree of the white oak group. It typically occurs in dry upland slopes and ledges as well as lowland valleys and ravines throughout the state.

 

It grows up to 50-80' tall in cultivation and taller (to 100') in the wild. This variety of Oak is pyramidal when young, but matures into a substantial tree with a wide-spreading, rounded crown. Insignificant yellowish-green flowers appear in male and female catkins separately, during spring, shortly after the leaves emerge. Fruits are oval acorns (to 3/4" long) with warty-scaled cups. Leaves (4-9" long) have 7 to 9 deep rounded lobes. They emerge pinkish in spring but mature to a dark green color. Variable fall color ranges from uninteresting browns to quality shades of dark red. White oak grows over much of eastern North America and is an important hardwood timber tree. Even though it is widely used in landscapes, its slow growth rate and large size has somewhat tempered its popularity.