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Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: willow oak
Type: Tree
Family: Fagaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Native Range: Southeastern United States
Garden Location: Martha Love Symington Missouri Native Shade Garden
Height: 40 to 75 feet
Spread: 25 to 50 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Color: Green
Bloom Description: Yellow-green
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Flowers not Showy
Tolerates: Clay Soil, Wet Soil, Air Pollution
Uses: Rain Garden, Shade Tree, Street Tree
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium to wet, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Prefers moist well-drained loams, but adapts to a wide range of soil conditions including clays with somewhat poor drainage. Generally tolerant of urban pollution. Trees or seeds for the St. Louis area should come from northern sources because there is some question as to the winter hardiness of this tree throughout USDA Zone 5.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Willow oak is a medium to large, deciduous oak tree of the red oak group that is noted for its oak shape, willow-like leaves and relatively fast growth rate. It is native to the Southeastern United States, typically being found in moist bottomland soils. In Missouri, it is usually found in wet or low woods bordering swamps, streams and canals in a few counties in the far southeastern portion of the state (Steyermark). Willow oak typically grows 40-75’ tall with an oval to rounded crown, but may reach 100’ in ideal conditions. Smooth-edged, bristle-tipped, narrow, green leaves (to 5” long and 1” wide) are willow-like. Leaves turn an undistinguished yellow-brown or dull gold in fall. Fruits are rounded acorn cups (to 1/2” long). Acorns can be an important source of food for wildlife. Insignificant monoecious yellowish-green flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in spring (April) as the leaves emerge. Dark, irregularly-furrowed trunks (gray to dark gray-brown) develop on mature trees.
Plant of Merit
Native to southern Missouri, this oak is a relatively fast-growing deciduous tree that is perhaps best noted for its attractive form and its willow-like leaves that are smooth-edged, bristle-tipped and narrow. It grows 40-75 feet tall, displaying a pyramidal habit in youth but aging to a more rounded form. Mature trees develop dark, irregularly-furrowed trunks. This is an excellent shade tree for lawns, streets and parks as well as for the occasionally wet soils of low spots and pond peripheries.
Problems
Oaks are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots and powdery mildew. Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, willow oak is generally considered to have good resistance to pests and to be a low-maintenance, long-lived tree.
Garden Uses
A medium to large shade tree for large lawns, along streets or in parks. Also effective along ponds or water gardens.