Bur Oak

The iconic oak of Wisconsin! Bur Oak is one of the toughest oaks, tolerant of highly alkaline soils and drought. Most have interesting corky bark on young branches. The acorns make it an excellent plant to attract wildlife. Use where space is not limiting as Bur Oak is large at maturity and long-lived. May also be known as Blue Oak, Mossycup Oak.

Bur Oak is noted for having the largest acorn of all native Oak species. In Wisconsin, however, our Bur Oaks are of the oliviformis variety, which has smaller acorns than the species. While not as large as the acorns of the southern ecotype, the acorns of our native variety are more manageable in a landscape setting and create less mess.

The wood of Bur Oak is commercially valuable for its rot resistance and strength. It is typically sold commercially as White Oak.

Bur Oak is a pioneer species at the forest edge and will invade prairies along with Northern Pin Oak. The corky bark of Bur Oak protects it against the wildfires that distinguish our native tallgrass prairies, even when young.

Of all the native North American oaks, Bur Oaks bear acorns the longest. A 400-year-old tree will still reliably produce seeds. Bur Oak is a masting species – it produces acorns at irregular frequencies to help it reproduce. During years of regular production, the tree produces enough acorns to sustain a local population of small wildlife that will eat the seeds. When the trees produce a bumper crop of seeds, animals will cache large amounts of acorns but will not be able to eat them all. The uneaten acorns are thus ‘planted’ by wildlife and result in forests that have trees in similar age groups. While other oaks, like White Oak, tend to have little to no production between heavy seed years, Bur Oak is more consistent in its intervals and production, providing value to wildlife even in years of low production.

Complete information on this species can be found at the source link below:
Information Source: https://kb.jniplants.com/bur-oak-quercus-macrocarpa
Plant Source: Johnson’s Nursery