Type: Deciduous
Exposure: Sun/Shade
Water Use: Medium
Mature Size: 60’-70’
Bur oak is one of the largest of the Quercus species, growing 50-70 feet tall and wide (sometimes significantly larger in other areas of the country), so give this beauty the room it deserves. A wonderful deciduous shade tree, bur oak is tough, drought tolerant and possesses the classic rounded, lobed leaf form folks think of when picturing an oak leaf.
Not only is the tree massive, but it also produces the largest acorn of the oaks, each one around the size of a golf ball. The acorns are topped with a cap of mossy looking brown fringe, the “bur” that gives this tree its common name. Macrocarpa refers to the large size of the acorn.
The acorns are a great source of food for a wide variety of wildlife and several species of butterfly larvae utilize this tree as a host. The bark is deeply ridged and the thickness and texture provide visual interest. The fiddle-shaped leaves are leathery and dark green on the top, slightly grayish on the underside, turning to shades of golden yellow and soft brown in the autumn.
Bur oak does well in a wide variety of soil types — dry, moist, sandy, clay and alkaline — but grows best in well-drained soil. It does well in zones 2-8. Like most oaks, it grows slowly when first planted, but it can produce several feet of growth a year once established and is considered one of the fastest growing oaks. This incredible tree can live for 200-400 years or longer.
