This huge tree, one of the largest
on campus, is a White Oak. It’s scientific name is Quercus alba and it is a member of
the Beech/Oak Family, the Fagaceae. We have other species of oak
on campus including Red Oak, Pin Oak, and Black Oak. White Oak is
easily separated from the others by the rounded, bristleless lobes of
its leaves. Red, Black, and Pin Oak leaves have sharp-pointed
lobes with bristle tips and can be identified with certainty only by
features of their acorns. Even then, it is difficult to make a
positive identification because many oaks, especially those in the
red/black group hybridize with one another to produce leaves and other
parts that are intermediate between the two parents.
White Oak is the most common oak tree in Eastern North America.
It is very desirable as a lumber species. Its very hard wood is
excellent for making furniture, woodwork, and hardwood floors.
The wood has a prominent “grain.” This is because of the way the
annual rings are formed; first with a ring of springwood composed of
cells of very large diameter followed by a ring of summerwood composed
of cells of small diameter. The effect is that the annual rings
are very prominent, easily seen even with the naked eye. When an
oak board is sanded and varnished, the grain appears as light and dark
streaks that form stripes or a flame pattern depending on how the board
was cut. The problem for carpenters is the difficulty of pounding
a nail into such hard wood. They can use compressed air nailing
tools or they can pre-drill a small guide hole before pounding in the
nail with a hammer. Removing the nail is even more difficult!
White Oaks are sometimes called Stave Oaks because they are excellent
for making barrels used for storage and for aging various kinds of
alcoholic beverages like whiskey. The individual boards of a
barrel are called “staves.” The leaves of oak are used for
tanning leather -- the tannins in the leaves are toxic to insects and
will preserve the leather from damage by insects and other organisms.
-- David Kramer
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