Leaves are alternate, simple, lobed; lobes with rounded tips; fruit an acorn.
The bur oak is found on a wide range of soils from deep rich bottomlands
where it attains a large size, to dry ridges and western slopes where the tree is
small and gnarled. It is strong-branched, usually with a dense crown.The
bur oak is found widely over the eastern United State as far west as Montana
and western Texas and throughout Iowa. Often it is the only tree on hillsides
in the western part of the state. The bur oak was selected as the most typical
tree of Iowa for the Memorial Park at Golden Gate, California.
The single leaves have five to nine rounded lobes, with a large end lobe.
The leaves are divided in half near the center with a deep lobe almost to
mid-vein. They leaves are dark shiny green above, and lighte green
to gray below. Thetop portion of the leaf is more wavy than lobed.
The acorn is large, almost round with a bur or moss-like, fringed cup covering half or more of the acorn.
The thick, deeply furrowed bark breaks into distinct ridges. On small
branched and twigs it is brownish, roughened and corky.
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