Get to know this plant.
Identification clue 1
Shallow rounded lobes
Identification clue 2
Pale hairy leaf underside
Identification clue 3
Acorns on conspicuously long stalks
Diseases & insects in WNC
Problems to recognize in WNC gardens. These are documented susceptibilities, not a local outbreak report or a diagnosis. Weather, elevation and growing conditions change the risk.
Diseases & similar-looking injury
Anthracnose, leaf spots and powdery mildew may affect foliage. Cankers and root decay deserve attention when branches decline.
Insects to recognize
Oakworms, leafminers, scale and gall-making insects may occur. Many oak insects also feed birds; galls or a few eaten leaves rarely justify treatment.
When to look
Check unfolding leaves in a wet spring and caterpillar activity through summer.
A useful first step
Compare the amount of damage with overall tree vigor. Repeated heavy defoliation, rapid wilt or structural decay calls for Extension or an arborist.
More growing details
Read the leaves
Turn a leaf over: the pale, softly hairy underside contrasts with the dark upper surface. Lobes are shallow.
Read the bark
Gray-brown bark becomes ridged; branches may peel.
Fruit & seed
Long acorn stalks help separate this species from white oak and chestnut oak.
Winter character
Peeling branches and clustered end buds supplement persistent acorn stalks.
Origin & place
A North American native but rare in North Carolina, mainly outside the mountains. A WNC landscape tree is generally planted.
WNC Notes
Adaptable oak for moist or periodically wet sites; also tolerates urban conditions once established.
Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
50–60
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
50–60
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
BLOOM COLOR
Catkins
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Yellow-brown
Wet-Soil Tolerance
High
Drought Tolerance
Moderate
