Leaf guide › Oaks
White oak
Quercus alba
Deep burgundy late in the season, and often still holding its leaves into winter.
Updated
- Fall color
- PurpleBronzeRed
- Turns
- Late
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 4–8 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Seven to nine rounded, finger-like lobes with no bristle tips.
- Underside is pale, almost whitish.
- Turns wine red to purplish brown late in fall.
- Dry brown leaves often cling to the branches through winter.
Easy to confuse with
Northern red oak
Pointed lobes with tiny bristles at the tips.
Bur oak
One pair of very deep notches near the middle splits the leaf in two, and the acorn cap is fringed.
Worth knowing
White oak acorns mature in a single season and are sweeter than red oak acorns, which makes them a favorite of deer, turkeys, and squirrels. It’s the state tree of Illinois, Maryland, and Connecticut.
Common questions
What color does white oak turn in fall?
White oak turns purple, bronze and red in fall. Deep burgundy late in the season, and often still holding its leaves into winter.
When does white oak change color?
It’s one of the later trees to color, often after the maples have passed peak.
How can you tell white oak from northern red oak?
Northern red oak: Pointed lobes with tiny bristles at the tips. White oak: Seven to nine rounded, finger-like lobes with no bristle tips.
Where does white oak grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
Open the foliage map