The white oak is Maryland’s state tree, chosen in 1941. They can grow up to 150 feet tall, live for over six centuries, and produce 10,000 acorns annually. The tree was valued for its hardwood and edible acorns by early settlers. Wye Oak, the largest white oak in the US, was killed by lightning in 2002, but a cloned tree now stands in its place.
Maryland’s state tree is the white oak, or Quercus alba. This native tree was chosen as the official state tree of Maryland in 1941. These trees typically reach 60 to 150 feet (18.3 to 45.7 meters) tall and can be 4 feet (1.2 meters) in diameter. They can live for more than six centuries and are usually able to produce acorns, their fruit, after about the 50th year of life. The average white oak produces approximately 10,000 acorns each year, which provide food for dozens of animal species and were traditionally eaten by both European settlers and Native Americans.
White oak is generally valued commercially for its attractive hardwood, which was traditionally valued for making casks. Though commonly referred to as a white oak, the Maryland state tree usually has gray bark. Its leaves are usually reddish when they first appear each spring, although they normally turn green about seven days after appearing on trees. The leaves are typically glossy and smooth and sport between five and seven lobes.
This species was likely chosen as the state tree of Maryland because it is prevalent in the state and because of its importance to early settlers. Early inhabitants of the area, both European and indigenous, relied on the tree’s edible acorns as a food source. In the absence of other grains, the early inhabitants of Maryland ground the acorns of the white oak into a kind of flour.
Wye Oak State Park in the state of Maryland was once home to the Wye Oak, a specimen of white oak that was considered one of the largest trees in the United States. The Wye Oak was also considered the largest white oak in the country, standing 96 feet (29.3 meters) tall and 31.8 feet (9.7 meters) in diameter. It was believed to be around 500 years old. Wye Oak was killed on June 6, 2002, probably by lightning. A tree cloned from the original Wye Oak has now been planted in the same spot, and trees grown from the acorns of the Wye Oak or cloned from the tree itself can be found growing throughout the state, as well as at Mount Vernon, home of US President George Washington.
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