White Oak

The leaves of the white oak turn red or brown during autumn. White oak trees provide shelter for small insects and cover for birds because their leaves often stay on even after they are dead and fall off during early spring. The leaves have rounded lobes, while red oaks, by comparison, have pointed leaves.

White oak trees may develop certain diseases. One such disease is the oak leaf blister, caused by a fungus. Light green spots on the leaves, a distorted leaf shape, and blister-like areas on the leaf’s surface identify the fungus. In addition, trees in the white and red oak groups are susceptible to a grouping of fungal leaf diseases called anthracnose. If the weather conditions in the spring are cool and wet, anthracnose is more likely to spread. Leaf symptoms typically include brown spots or patches that expand outward to the leaf margins. Finally, oaks in both the white and red oak groups are also susceptible to bacterial leaf scorch, a disease spread by a bacterium that leads to branch mortality, leaf browning, and, eventually, tree death. 

White oak wood is very hard and rot-resistant. For this reason, humans use it in various ways to make barrels for wine and whiskey, for construction, shipbuilding, martial weapons, furniture, instruments, and more. Native Americans used white oak leaves to treat diarrhea, mouth sores, chapped skin, asthma, and cough.

*This resource is a product of Dr. Sara Wright’s Plant Diversity course in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department.