The white oak is any member of a group (Leucobalanus) of North American ornamental and timber shrubs and trees of the genus Quercus in the beech family (Fagaceae). White oaks have smooth, bristleless leaves, sometimes with glandular margins, and acorns with sweet-tasting seeds that mature in one season. Bur oak and chestnut oak are members of this group.

White oaks grow well in moist well drained uplands and low lands and are often in pure stands. They range from south Ontario and extreme south Quebec east to Maine, south to north Flordia, west to eastern Texas, and nort to central Minnesota.

Many trees of the white oak group have acorns that germinate soon after they fall and are killed by cold before they can take root. Gray squirrels spread white oaks by carrying acorns to other sites and burying them. A decline in white oak reproduction is often associated with a decreasing squirrel population.

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