White oak

Description:

I thought this would be a good example of showing the bark of a mature white oak. A distinguishing feature of this tree is that about half way the trunk the bark begins to have overlapping scales, although they are not always this extreme. The bark has a grey- ashy color. This transition is fully seen in pic 2. Another distinguishing feature is that the leaves have rounded lobes (pic 3). This tree was about 75 cm in dia. and around 30 meters tall.

Habitat:

Spotted in a deciduous forest at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

Notes:

Sexual maturity begins at around 20 years, but the tree does not produce large crops of acorns until its 50th year and the amount varies from year to year. Acorns deteriorate quickly after ripening, the germination rate being only 10% for six-month-old seeds. As the acorns are prime food for insects and other animals, all may be consumed in years of small crops, leaving none that would become new trees.