Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion
Bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa
Lobed leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunAndrey Zharkikh ↗ · CC BY 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Extremely durable long-lived oak for large sites; enormous acorns and canopy require planning.
The central sinuses often nearly divide the blade, leaving a broad upper portion. Shape varies widely.
More growing details
Read the bark
Mature bark is deeply ridged; young branches may develop corky ridges.
Fruit & seed
A conspicuously fringed cup wraps much of a large acorn: the strongest field clue.
Winter character
Corky twigs and clustered buds help, especially with fallen fringed cups nearby.
Origin & place
Native to central and eastern North America; NC State notes it as a waif in western NC, not a characteristic native mountain oak.
Compare with White oak
White oak lacks the acorn cup's shaggy fringe and typically has more evenly distributed lobes.
WNC Notes
Extremely durable long-lived oak for large sites; enormous acorns and canopy require planning.
Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
60–80
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
60–80
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
BLOOM COLOR
Catkins
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Yellow-brown
Wet-Soil Tolerance
Moderate
Drought Tolerance
High
LOOK CLOSELY
Two views, a closer look.
Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.
Lobed leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunAndrey Zharkikh ↗ · CC BY 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.Capped acorns — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sunMatt Levin ↗ · CC-BY-SA 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
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