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Fork-leaf Oak

The Quercus Alba is commonly known as Fork-leaf Oak, Forked-leaf White Oak, Ridge White Oak, Stave Oak, as well as White Oak

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Growing Regions

White oak grows throughout much of the eastern United States from southwest Maine to northern Florida, Alabama, and Georgia [53,83,148]. It extends westward throughout southern Ontario and Quebec into central Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Minnesota and south to southwestern Iowa, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas [55,83].  Little [83] reported that white oak may have been eliminated from southeastern Nebraska. The best growing conditions for white oak occur on the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains and in the Ohio Valley and central Mississippi Valley [148].  White oak is mostly absent from conifer-dominated stands at higher elevations within the Appalachian Mountains and from the lower Mississippi Delta and coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana [148]. The variety latiloba occurs at the northern edge of the species' range [47].  The range of var. repanda is poorly documented, but it has been reported in parts of New England [117].

     

General Information

The currently accepted scientific name of white oak is Quercus alba L. [69]. It is a member of the order Fagales and has been placed within the white oak subgenus (Lepidobalanus) [16]. Three varieties of white oak are commonly recognized [148]: Quercus alba var. alba Quercus alba var. repanda Michx. Quercus alba var. latiloba Sarg. Some authorities recognize these entities as forms rather than varieties [108,117,131]. White oak is highly variable genetically [58], and many forms and ecotypes have been described. According to Fowells [47], "no definite races have been defined, but within such a tremendously diverse habitat, climatic races undoubtedly exist." White oak readily hybridizes with many other species within the genus Quercus [58], including swamp white oak (Q. bicolor), bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergi), dwarf chinkapin oak (Q. prinoides), overcup oak (Q. lyrata), swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii), sandpost oak (Q. margaretta), chestnut oak (Q. prinus), English oak (Q. robur), Durand oak (Q. durandii), and post oak (Q. stellata) [58,83]. Hybrids, their common names, and purported origins are listed below [69,148]. Beadle oak X beadlei Trel. (Quercus alba x michauxii) Bebb oak X bebbiana (Q. alba x Q. macrocarpa) X bimundorum Palmer (Q. alba x Q. robur) Deam oak X deamii (Q. alba x Q. muehlenbergi) Faxon oak X faxonii Trel. (Q. alba x Q. prinoides) Fernow oak X fernowii Trel. (Q. alba x Q. stellata) Jack oak X jackiana Schneid. (Q. alba x Q. montana) Saul oak X saulii Schneid. (Q. alba x Q. prinus) Saul oak was formerly known as Q. alba f. ryderii but is now considered a heterozygous hybrid form of white oak [3]. Introgressive populations are locally common throughout much of the range of white oak. Hybrid swarms derived from complex mixtures of parental forms are particularly common on disturbed sites, at the margins of white oak's range, and where several oak species occur sympatrically [58].

White oak grows as a dominant in many communities and as a major species
in several cover types [95,96].  Common codominants within the overstory
include northern red oak (Quercus rubra), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea),
northern pin oak (Q. ellipsoidalis), black oak (Q. velutinus), beech
(Fagus spp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), chestnut (Castanea
dentata), red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (A. saccharum), and
hickories (Carya spp.).  Understory dominants or codominants include
deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), leadplant (Amorpha canescens), trailing
arbutus (Epigaea repens), huckleberries (Gaylussacia spp.), meadow-rue
(Thalictrum spp.), and false Solomon's-seal (Smilacina racemosa). 

Published classifications listing white oak as an indicator or dominant
in habitat types (hts) are presented below:

Area              Classification                Authority

   AL             general veg. cts              Golden 1979
 s IL             general veg. cts              Fralish 1976
   IN             general veg. cts              Keith 1983
ne IA             general veg. cts              Cahayla-Wynne &
                                                Glenn-Lewin 1978
   MI             general veg. cts              Hammitt and Barnes 1989
                  general veg. eas              Pregitzer and Ramm 1984
 n MI, ne WI      forest hts                    Coffman and others 1980
sw OH             general veg. cts              Braun 1936
 e TN             general veg. cts              Martin and DeSelm 1976
n WI              forest hts                    Kotar and others 1988
Smoky Mtns        general veg. cts              Whittaker 1956

Much of the information presented here is attributed to:
Tirmenstein, D. A. 1991. Quercus alba. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available at USDA Forest Service.

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