Bur Oak

Order: Fagales

Family: Fagaceae

Genus: Quercus

Species: Q. macrocarpa

Identifying Characteristics:

- Large deciduous tree, 30 m (100 ft) tall

- Trunk: massive, 3 m (10 ft) diameter

- Bark: medium gray and somewhat rugged

- Leaves: 7-15 cm long; 5-13 cm wide; variable in shape, with a lobed margin

- Flower: greenish-yellow catkins

- Acorns: very large, 2-5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, with a large cup that wraps much of the way around the nut, with a large overlapping scales and often a fringe at the edge of the cup

Special Adaptions:

- typically grow in the open, away from the forest canopy

- often found near waterways, rich woods, prairie borders

- fire-resistant tree

- One of the slowest-growing oaks