Quercus alba (white oak)

Maryland DNR Recommended Tree

White oak, the state tree of Maryland, is one of Maryland's most common large hardwoods. This deciduous tree is found throughout the state in a variety of woodland habits. Best grown in rich, moist, acidic, well-drained loams in full sun. Adapts to a wide variety of soil conditions and can tolerate the successive periods of drought and heat that we see with climate change. Slow-growing and long-lived. Grows to 80–100' tall in cultivation. Pyramidal when young, but matures into a substantial tree with a wide-spreading, rounded crown. Fruit is a warty capped oval acorn, but tree does not produce large crops of acorns until its fiftieth year, and the amount varies from year to year. Leaves have deep rounded lobes. Variable fall color ranges from browns to shades of dark red depending on climate. 

White oak grows over much of eastern North America with a concentration on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Oaks are the most valuable trees you can plant for hosting butterflies and moths and in turn feeding birds. Host tree to many kinds of butterflies, moths, and other insects. Acorns are a favorite food for turkeys, wood ducks, pheasants, grackles, jays, nuthatches, thrushes, woodpeckers, rabbits, squirrels, and deer.

BONAP Native Range Map (bright green indicates county native, dark green indicates state native)