(Burr Oak, Mossycup Oak)

All things about this oak are big and bold. The behemoth bur oak is a large tree with large, uniquely irregular leaves and absolutely enormous acorns. Native to the sandy plains and dry clay soils of eastern North America, it is a slow-growing, long-lived deciduous tree with a deep root system. Its massive trunk and branches are covered in gray-brown bark that becomes very deeply ridged and furrowed with age.

The large leaves of bur oak are oval to fiddle-shaped with large, deep, irregular lobes....

(Blackjack Oak)

A perfectly shaped oak tree for an old college campus or stately field, blackjack oak has elderly character. It develops a relatively short, stout trunk with chunky dark gray bark and forms an irregularly rounded canopy with pronounced, somewhat gnarled branches. Dead branches persist due to the resilient strength of the wood and must be pruned off to keep trees looking their best. This deciduous oak is smaller than most species and native to areas across the eastern United States, from New York...

(Chinkapin Oak, Yellow Chestnut Oak)

The imposing and long-lived chinkapin oak has an open, rounded canopy and lustrous, dark green, oval leaves with wavy, toothed edges. This large deciduous tree is native to the eastern and southern United States and northeastern tip of Mexico. It has a broad, upright trunk with ash gray bark that flakes off in thin strips.

Its oval to pear-shaped leaves are green to yellow green with tan or silvery undersides and distinctly uniform teeth along the edges. In mid-spring, the branch tips yield...

(Water Oak)

Adaptable to many landscape situations, the water oak is a large deciduous shade tree that showers the ground with acorns in autumn. This native of the southeastern United States is well-adapted to lowlands and floodplains, which makes it better able to withstand soil compaction and oddly enough, drought. Young trees adopt a broadly conical crown but mature specimens develop a full, rounded canopy and smooth brown bark that eventually becomes dark gray and lightly furrowed with age.

The variable...

(Channel Island Scrub Oak, Island Scrub Oak)

A picturesque twisted plant that is sculpted by the ocean winds, island scrub oak is a rustic plant for mild seaside landscapes to attract wildlife with its acorns. This partially evergreen shrub to very small upright tree is native only (endemic) to the California Channel Islands of Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina and is of conservation concern. The scaly gray bark lines the small trunks and the twigs are reddish brown.

The coarse and leathery (not shiny) leaves are oval and dull green...

(Willow Oak)

There is perhaps no finer oak for hot, tough, dry landscapes than the willow oak. This large deciduous tree develops an oval canopy and naturally inhabits both upland and lowland sites across the eastern and southern United States. Some of its more unusual and desirable features are that it is fast-growing, yet strong-wooded, and transplants easily.

The fine, distinctive foliage of willow oak is long, narrow and glossy dark green. It is light green when it first emerges and then turns shades...

(Mexican White Oak, Monterey Oak, Netleaf White Oak)

The fast growing Monterrey oak is a heat-tolerant shade tree with dark-green oval leaves. This partially evergreen tree is widespread across Guatemala and Mexico, and occasionally in the canyons of extreme western Texas. The bark is scale-like and gray to brown.

In spring, new leaves emerge with red or pink tones before turning fully green or bluish green, and becoming thick and waxy. They lack the lobes most often associated with oaks, and have margins that are wavy and have very small bristles....

(Dwarf Chinkapin Oak, Scrub Chestnut Oak)

A small deciduous oak, dwarf chinkapin is a favorite foodsource of wildlife because of its less bitter-tasting acorns, and the brilliant orange-red fall leaves isn't a disappoint either! Native of dry, acidic outcroppings and grasslands, this species' range is from New Hampshire to Iowa and Oklahoma in the interior eastcentral United States, including the southernmost tip of Ontario. It sometimes spreads via rhizomes (underground stems) to form small thickets. The gray bark is thin, flaky and papery.

The...

(Basket Oak, Chestnut Oak)

Toothed, chestnut-like leaves and deeply furrowed, scaly bark are among the notable characteristics of this medium to large deciduous tree. It is native to rocky slopes of eastern North America. Some botanical references (including "Flora of North America") refer to this species as Quercus montana.

The oval to lance-shaped, bluntly toothed leaves of chestnut oak emerge bronze- or orange-green, soon changing to lustrous dark-green with pale undersides. Fall color is dull brownish-orange....

(English Oak)

A ruggedly handsome tree, the English oak has strong branches on its rounded canopy, with classic lobed leaves and oval acorns. A deciduous tree native to Europe and western Asia, it has bark that is ridged and furrowed, rich brown to gray-black in color. The wavy-edged leaves are oblong with very short stems with few to many lobes. They are glossy green to nearly deep bluish green with a lighter green underside, first emerging very downy in the late spring. As the leave emerge, the pendent male...