WSU Clark County Extension
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Oregon White Oak

Scientific name: Quercus garryana
Taxonomy
Family:Fagaceae
Type:Deciduous tree
Native:YES
Plant Requirements
Zone:4 to 9
Sun:Full sun
Moisture:Dry
Plant Characteristics
Height:90 ft
Width:125 ft
Bloom:Spring flowers
Bloom Time:April
Bloom Color:Yellow
Additional Characteristics
Trees


Fruit

Leaves


Bark
Wildlife value

Poisonous
Description Oregon White Oak is best known as a stately deciduous tree that grows from British Columbia south to Los Angeles. Large mature specimens are wide spreading and very stout in appearance. In its northern range it is often known as Gary Oak.

  Morphology:
Oregon White Oak can easily grow to a height of 90’ and a width of over 125’ forming a broad, rounded crown with a rugged appearance. The limbs are often very crooked especially if the tree is grown out in the open. Young trees often have shrubby appearance.

The leaves of Oregon White Oak are arranged in an alternate fashion. They are simple, 4”-6” long and are evenly and deeply lobed with rounded leaf tips. Leaves are pinnately lobed with 5 to 9 irregular rounded lobes. During the summer the leaves are dark green above and pale beneath. Their fall color ranges from saddle brown to tinted gold; occasionally dull red.

Acorns (fruit) are ovate and smooth and approximately 1” long. The lower 1/3 of the acorn is encased in a shallow cup. Gray squirrels, deer and livestock eat acorns and the leaves of young shoots and sprouts.

The mature bark is brownish gray and shallowly fissured in a checker-like pattern. When cut down the wood from this oak is used for furniture and flooring.

  Adaptation:
This species prefers full sun and does best where annual precipitation exceeds 30” per year. In the Willamette Valley of Oregon it often grows in pure stands.

  Pests:
Galls, which are spread by insects, can form on the leaves but represent no harm to this oak.
For assistance, contact Dr. Charles Brun (brunc@wsu.edu), (360) 397-6060 5701
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