Leaf Color Range

Pioneers in the western grasslands found this native tree (also called the “blue oak” and “mossycup oak”) in abundance. The acorns which it produces are larger than any other oak. The deep fringed cup of the acorn resembles the spring bur of the chestnut, giving the tree its name. It has a stout trunk with a broad open, rounded crown of crooked spreading branches. One of the largest bur oaks in the city is growing beside Lake Elizabeth at Allegheny Commons.
Height: 50’-80’
Leaves: 4”-10” long, 2”-5” wide. Alternate, simple. Dark green and slightly shiny above, gray-green with fine hairs beneath; turning yellow or brown in autumn.
Habitat: From dry uplands on limestone and gravelly ridges, sandy plains, and loamy slopes to moist flood plains of streams; often in nearly pure stands. From southern Canada, south to Tennessee, west to Texas and north to North Dakota.