Quercus
phellos Linnaeus
Common
names: willow oak.
Family: Fagaceae.
Brief
description: Willow Oak is so named because of the narrow willow-like
leaves, while many of our most common oaks have distinctly lobed or
toothed leaves. Look at the fruits of this tree--the acorns--and you
will see at once that it is truly an oak (willows have small, downy,
wind blown seeds and are related to aspens, cottownwoods and true
poplars). Acorns are an important and calorie rich food for birds
and wildlife. Like many other flood plain species (sweetgum, elms,
willows, cottonwoods, ash) willow oak makes a fine street and yard
tree. It has fast growth rates on good sites and can attain huge size--6
feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall.
USDA
Profile
Herbarium
sheet images:
Live
specimen images:
• Branchlet
with leaves • Individual
leaves • Branchlet
with buds • Close-up
of buds •