Willow Oak

Willow Oak

Quercus phellos

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

▲ ▼ mature trees

▲ leaves

▲ trunk and bark

Location on Missouri State University campus: on east side of Bear Park South parking garage

Quercus phellos: Willow Oak

• leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, slender lanceolate with entire margins with single spine at tip of leaf; medium to dark green above and glabrous to pubescent on veins below; 2-5.5" long and 1/4 as wide
• stems slender, smooth, shiny reddish to dark brown
• buds 1/8 - 1/4" long, egg-shaped with pointed tip; scales are chestnut brown, but paler at margins; terminal bud is longer than other buds in the cluster
• bark is gray, with furrows and thick ridges
• grows 40-60' tall and about 3/4 as wide in pyramidal growth habit
• acorns 1/2" long, rounded, striped, enclosed in shallow, thin cap
• prefers full sun, moist, well-drained soils, but tolerates most soils if pH is acid to neutral
• medium growth rate
• native to southeast Missouri