Bur Oak
Family: Fagaceae (Beech Family)
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Height: 70-80 feet
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Spread: 70-80 feet
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Bloom Time: May
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Bloom: yellowish-green catkins, not showy; green acorn fruit turns brown when mature; sweet and edible; acorn cap has hairy edge over upper half of nut; heavy fruit crops every 3-5 years; may take up to 35 years for tree to bear a first crop of acorns
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Light: full sun; intermediate shade tolerance
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Soil: prefers well-drained loams, but adapts to a wide range of soil conditions
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Moisture: dry to medium;
good drought tolerance
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Use: large shade
tree for very large lawns or parks; typically grows in the open -- the savanna prairie; provides shade and wildlife habitat; acorns provide food for deer, hares, squirrels, rodents, turkey, grouse and large song birds
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Care: low maintenance
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Concerns: nut weevil larvae in acorn fruit; susceptible to
oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose
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Native to: Dane County, southern three-quarters of Wisconsin; eastern and central North America, excluding southeast
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Notes: broad-spreading, rounded crown; dark gray bark, deeply furrowed with many ridges; leathery dark green leaves with rounded lobes turn yellow or brown in fall; tall straight massive trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter; slow growing (1 inch in diameter in ten years); lives to 150 to 300 years; fire tolerant; tolerates black walnut; salt tolerant
· Teaching Garden
Location & Code: Sidewalk Garden G048; Demonstration Prairie I011
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