El quercus alba, commonly known as American white oak or simply as white oak, is a species that is part of the Fagaceae family.
This is a tree found in eastern North America and ranges from Quebec to Minnesota and from Florida to Texas. On the other hand, it should be noted that the wood of the white oak is quite appreciated for joinery.
Features
The acorns that we can find in the white oak are ripe at six months and have a fairly sweet flavor with a little bitter touch. The leaves of this tree have a series of bristles in their lobes they generally have a rounded appearance.
Although this tree is called the white oak, it is very rare to find one that has all its white bark, since it is generally grayish in color, being considered one of the most valuable as well as majestic oaks in all of North America.
In the woods, white oak can grow to a huge height and being in the middle of the field it can become a fairly wide tree with very leafy branches. It manages to reach a measurement of between about 24 to about 30 meters in heightHowever, it can have an enormous breadth with its branches since they are parallel to the ground. The tallest white oak ever found is approximately 44 meters tall and rarely as tall as it is wide.
The bark of this species has a grayish color similar to ash. It has petioles that are short and its leaves are generally grouped in clusters quite close to the ends. Its flowers have a bright yellow color in the calyx and the stigmas are reddish.
Quercus alba care and needs
This is a kind of oak that has an excellent development in soils that have a neutral, acidic or alkaline pH. Regarding the light needs, it can be said that it is moderately demanding, being able to sow in places that are semi-shady or that have direct exposure to sunlight.
Uses
The wood of white oak is highly valuedas it is heavy and quite hard. Many specialized industries use this type of wood for a variety of applications. Due to its high resistance to humidity, the wood of this tree It is widely used by the naval industry. On the other hand, it is highly appreciated by the railway industry, as it is highly resistant to vibrations.
Within the chemical industry it plays a great role. Tannins are extracted from the bark and acorns, which are used in the leather industry.
Farming
For its reproduction they are used seeds which are the ones found inside the acorns. It is advisable to use them when they are fresh, since in this way they completely lose the ability to germinate. It is quite convenient to plant the seeds in the places where the trees can grow.
To make germination much easier the technique known as scarification can be used, which is based on making an incision in said seed using a razor blade, thus helping moisture to penetrate. Oak trees generally prefer soils with sufficient moisture, but not in areas where water is accumulated. The most convenient thing is that there is humidity produced by the environment.
On the other hand, dry weather summers cause quite serious damage to these trees, so it is important to keep them constantly moist. They are quite resistant trees that can withstand temperatures of about -15 ° C. An appropriate temperature for growth to occur more easily can be between 18 and 20 ° C.
Irrigation must be done abundantly, but as we have already mentioned above, avoiding waterlogging. They do not need a pruning procedure, it will suffice with remove those branches that are observed damaged.
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