6 Native Oak Trees In Minnesota (Photos & Identification)
With over 600 different varieties, oak trees are one of the most common tree species found worldwide. And, of those 600 species, 90 are indigenous to North America alone.
If you live in Minnesota and are curious about how many of them are native to your state, this is the place to be. And the answer to your question is six. In this article, I’ll go over six of Minnesota’s native oak trees, along with their identification details, to help you spot them.
So, let’s get started.
1. White Oak
- Common Name: White Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus alba
- Mature Height: 60 to 100 feet
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: Produces acorns as fruit
- Uses: Furniture, Timber, etc.
The most magnificent variety among all other native oak trees in Minnesota, the White oak a can grow up to 100 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. In the forest, its tall and bare appearance contrasts with its rounded head and irregularly spreading branches.
White Oak leaves can grow to be 5 to 9 inches long and half that width. The leaves begin as soft, silvery-gray, yellow, or red leaves that expand and are deeply split into 5 to 9 finger-like lobes. When the leaves of the White Oak mature, they turn a light green above and a much paler green below.
The White Oak’s light brown acorns mature in the first year, growing up to 4 inches long and encased in a warty crown. The tree germinates within a few weeks of being ripe, and the acorn sends down a long, deep root before winter.
White oak predominates in southeastern Minnesota, almost to the exclusion of other trees that form woods. It is, however, less common north of Mille Lacs and northwestward to the St. Cloud neighborhood. This tree is not found in the state’s northern and western regions because it prefers heavy, well-drained, acidic soil.
White oak is an important wood for heavy construction because it produces light brown, robust, and sturdy wood. It is utilized in the construction of ships, railway ties, furniture, and even fuel.
2. Bur Oak
- Common Name: Bur Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa
- Mature Height: 80ft
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: The tree produces acorns that are enclosed in a fringed, burr-like cup
- Uses: Furniture, Timber, etc.
One of the majestic oak trees in Minnesota, Bur oaks can reach heights of 80 feet or more in ideal conditions.
It is endemic to Minnesota and other parts of North America, where it is typically seen growing alone in open stands and fields. The tree grows slowly and requires moist, well-drained soil.
Bur oak bark is thick and heavily furrowed, with irregular plate-like fractured scales tinted with crimson. Bur oak leaves are 6 to 12 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide, and they are generally clustered near the ends of the twigs. The leaf contains a pair of deep indentations near the base and wavy notches on the broad middle and upper parts, similar to the common white oak.
The acorns of the bur oak are placed deeply or almost contained in a fringed, burr-like cup that is ovoid. The cup’s diameter can reach 1″ or more, but it varies greatly depending on size and the degree to which the nut is encased in the mossy fringed cup. The seed is astringent.
Bur oak wood is heavy, robust, strong, and tough, and it is frequently used for comparable reasons to white oak wood. The wood has a beautiful brown tone that makes it ideal for furniture and other carpentry purposes.
3. Red Oak
- Common Name: Red Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus borealis
- Mature Height: 55 to 80 feet
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: Produces large, bitter acorns
- Uses: Used for construction and finish of houses, cheap furniture, and fuel; provides shade
Among all the native oak trees in Minnesota, the Red Oak (Quercus borealis) is one of the most prevalent and high-quality trees in the southern, central, and southeastern parts of the state. It can reach a height of 55 to 80 feet and has a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. The Red Oak’s trunk is tall and straight, with a thin crown.
Young stems have smooth, dark grey to dark brown bark. However, as the tree grows, the bark thickens and browns, with small cracks between uniform, flat, smooth-surfaced, vertical plates.
The Scarlet Oak has alternating leaves that are drab green on top and paler on the bottom, turning a beautiful scarlet in the fall. The leaves are 5 to 9 inches long and 4 to 6 inches wide, with 7 to 9 lobes that extend halfway to the midrib.
The Red Oak yields huge, bitter acorns in the second year. The acorns are blunt-topped, flat at the base, and have a very shallow, dark-brown cup surrounding the base.
Red Oak wood is light reddish-brown in color, firm, robust, and gritty. It’s utilized in the construction and finishing of houses, as well as low-cost furniture and fuel. Because it grows faster than most oaks, it is widely favored in the state’s southern regions for both timber and shade.
4. Scarlet Oak
- Common Name: Scarlet Oak or Jack Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus coccinea
- Mature Height: 40 to 65 feet
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: Bitter acorn takes two years to mature
- Uses: Fuel and as an ornamental tree
The Scarlet Oak, often known as the Jack Oak, is another commonly found native oak variety. It can reach a height of 65 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. The tree’s trunk tapers swiftly, and the branches droop at the ends, resulting in a narrow and open crown.
The Scarlet Oak’s bark is smooth and uneven, with greyish to dark brown ridges and plates split by shallow cracks. Oak leaves are alternating, oblong or oval in shape, and commonly seven-lobed.
The bristle-pointed lobes are divided by circular holes, lending the leaf a deeply cut or lacy look. The leaves are brilliant red and hairy in early spring, then turn green and then scarlet in autumn.
The Scarlet Oak’s fruit is a bitter acorn that takes two years to mature. They are reddish-brown, frequently striped, and only approximately half encased in the cup. Except on limestone soils, the tree is scarce in Minnesota, growing on dry hills in the state’s southeastern corner and as far north as Cass Lake.
Scarlet Oak wood is hefty, hard, strong, coarse-grained, and reddish-brown. It is primarily utilized for fuel and as an aesthetic tree, and it is easily cultivated from seed. The Scarlet Oak is a great tree that offers beauty and shade to our surroundings, and it is worthy of admiration and protection.
5. Swamp White Oak
- Common Name: Swamp White Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus bicolor
- Mature Height: 65 ft.
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: Acorn
- Uses: Commercially used for its wood
Another variety of shorter oak trees in Minnesota, the Swamp White Oak is a tree that can reach a maximum height of 65 feet. It resembles the actual White Oak. Its bark is thick and extensively divided into broad ridges by cracks.
Its twigs’ bark is rough and frequently flaking. Its leaves measure 5 to 6 inches in length and 2 to 4 inches in width. They have a pear-shaped center and a wedge-shaped base. The leaf margins are wavy and indented.
The leaves are dark green and lustrous on the outside and greyish and fuzzy on the inside. The leaves turn brown in the autumn.
The Swamp White Oak produces 1-inch long and 12-inch wide nuts or acorns. They are encased in a thick, thin cup for about one-third of their length. The trees are usually found in river bottoms in the state’s extreme southeastern region and the southern part of the Minnesota River Valley. They hardly seldom grow as far north as St. Paul. As the name says, the trees prefer damp soil.
Swamp White Oak wood is light brown, sturdy, robust, tough, and long-lasting. It is economically used for its wood, which is similar to that of White and Burr oak.
6. Black Oak
- Common Name: Black Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus velutina
- Mature Height: 50-80 ft.
- Native/Non-Native: Native
- Flowers/Cones: Acorn
- Uses: Commercially used for its wood
The Black Oak, also known as Quercus Yelutina, is a huge deciduous tree that grows to be 35 to 75 feet tall and 9 to 30 inches in diameter. On large trees, it has a broad, irregularly formed crown and a clear trunk for 20 feet or more. This tree can be found on arid ridges in southeastern Minnesota.
On young trees, the bark of the Black Oak is smooth and dark brown. The bark of elderly trees becomes thick and black, with deeply furrowed and rough broken ridges. Tannic acid presence causes the inner bark to be brilliant yellow and acrid.
Black Oak leaves are 5 to 10 inches long, 3 to 8 inches wide, and lobed halfway to the midrib with triangular, bristle-pointed lobes 5 to 7 inches long. They are scarlet in the spring, silvery when half-grown, brown in the autumn, and mature as thick dark green and lustrous on top and pale on the bottom. The leaves are mostly covered in down and have rusty brown hairs in the vein forks.
The Black Oak fruit is a light brown nut that develops in the second season, measuring half an inch to one inch in length and having a slightly spherical shape. A thin, dark-brown, scaly cup surrounds one-half to three-fourths of the nut, and the kernel is yellow and exceedingly bitter.
The wood of black oak is robust, heavy, strong, and coarse-grained, yet it is not tough and checks quickly. The wood has a rich reddish-brown color with a thin outer margin of paler sapwood and is mostly utilized for firewood. Tannin and yellow dye are made from the bark.
Oak Trees In Minnesota – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Because oak trees are fairly common in Minnesota, tree enthusiasts and tree spotters are frequently perplexed. In this section, I’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about oak trees in Minnesota.
Are there oak trees in Minnesota?
Oak trees are fairly common in Minnesota, and the state has six native oak varieties. Black Oak, Bur Oak, Red Oak, Scarlet Oak, Swamp White Oak, and White Oak are the six varieties.
Where is the biggest oak tree in Minnesota?
One of the White Oak trees in Scott County is the largest oak tree in Minnesota. The tree has a diameter of 5.8ft, which is taller than the average Asian human.
Do live oak trees grow in Minnesota?
Live oaks do grow in Minnesota, but they are not as common as the other varieties like White or Red Oak. Live Oak is native to the Southeastern part of the US.
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Sources
The Regional Gardening team makes sure that the information in our articles is accurate by only using sources that are known to be trustworthy. Some of these sources are peer-reviewed journals from government agencies, well-known universities, and scientific research organizations.
- Minnesota’s Native Trees, Department Of Natural Sciences, Minnesota State.
- Forestry Division, Minnesota State.
- Yard And Garden, University Of Minnesota Extension
- Native Plants, University Of Minnesota Extension
- Select Trees And Shrubs For Minnesota Landscapes, University Of Minnesota Extension
- Trees and shrubs for pollinators, University Of Minnesota Extension
- Department Of Agriculture, Minnesota State.
