Growth form: Willow oak trees is a medium to large that can grow up to 100 ft and have a trunk 3 to 6 ft in diameter.
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of willow oak are alternate, entire, simple, and are typically 2 to 8 inches long; they are also a bright green. The bark is a rough reddish-brown color. The twigs are very thin and smooth,
Leaves of Willow oak #800, showing alternate leaf arrangement, entire margins, and simple. (Photos by Monai Allen 10/24/2019)
Photo of Willow oak leaves. (Photo by: greenwoodnursery.com)
Flowers: In the spring yellowish-green inconspicuous flowers bloom as the leaves appear; they come in separate male and female catkins.
Yellowish flowers of the Willow oak. (Anacostia park, Washington DC, Flickr.com)
Fruits: Fruits are small rounded acorns about 1/2 inches long. The acorns are brown and usually show up in pairs or single.
Photo by Nativ Nurseries
Native range and habitat: mainly grows from the eastern to central United States. Willow oaks adapted to moist, well-drained, and acid-soil. They prefer full sun or light shade.
Distribution of Willow oak across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
Plant Family: The beech family (fabaceae) are deciduous or evergreen trees. The often have alternate leaves, fruit in the form of nuts, and flowers in catkins
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Edible and Medicinal Uses: The bark has been used for baths for aches, pain, sores, etc. You can eat the seed if cooked. Seeds can be dried and grounded into powder for stews or mixed with cereals for bread.
Wildlife: The acorns on the willow oak is food to squirrels and deers and home to various birds.
Gardens and Landscaping: Used as a shading tree and ornamental.
Campus Specimens
State and national champions? The largest willow oak in the country is located in Northhampton, Virginia. This national champion has a trunk circumference of 328 inches, height of 105 feet, and crown spread of 137 feet. Resulting in a total of 467 points. The Virginia state champion willow tree is located in Northampton, VA, and is the same as the national champion.
At Radford University, Many of the willow oak (as highlighted in the bottom photo) can be found in lot A beside Preston and Young hall.
Tree #760
Trunk circumference: 153.0 inches
Tree height: 62.1 feet
Crown spread: 85.0 feet x 83.0 feet Average = 84.0 feet
Total points: 236
Tree #761
Trunk circumference: 153.0 inches
Tree height: 78.0 feet
Crown spread: 88.0 feet x 87.0 feet Average crown spread = 87.5 feet
Total points: 252.9
Tree #800
Located in Lot A. The tree has multiple trunks and the base is short and stout. The leaves were changing from bright green to yellow. What the average willow oak tree looked like on campus.
References
Elpel, T. J. (2018). Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, Edition 6.1. Hops Press, Pony, MT.
Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. (2019). Fringe Tree Fact Sheet, Virginia Tech Dendrology. dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/factsheets.cfm
Page created by: Monai Allen, Radford University (2019).