SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus macrocarpa

COMMON NAME: bur oak, mossy cup oak

LEAVES: Obovate with deep sinuses at the middle of the leaf. Generally very pubescent underneath. Sometimes deeply lobed leaves and no pubescence. Up to 1' in length.

BARK: Has corky wings on the twigs. Very distinctive feature.

FRUIT: Very large acorn as big as a golf ball. Bottom of acorn cap is fringed with distinctive hairs up to 1/2" long. Trees in our shade tree study started bearing acorns before they were 10 years old which contrasts to some information out there which says that trees must be over 20 years old to have fruit.

GROWTH RATE: 2.1 ft./yr. in our shade tree study. Surprised at how fast this tree grows.

OTHER: A very large acorn. In Alabama, native only in Montgomery Co. Can grow on soil pHs from 4.0 to 8.0. Very drought tolerant (taproot), but hard to transplant. Reportedly slow growing but is averaging over 2' of growth per year in shade tree study. This species is gaining much wider acceptance in the landscape industry. Don=t let one of these giant acorns hit you in the head or hit your car. Auburn University has used this species as its street tree on Samford Avenue.