Post Oak | Fourth and Gill Arboretum

Other Names:: Iron Oak
Native to:: Eastern / Central North America
Sidewalk Visibility:: Good
Public?: No
Diameter:
Conservation Status
Description:: A slow-growing tree in the white oak group that thrives in drier marginal soil conditions, often found along upland slopes and rocky ridges. The name “post oak” is derived from its traditional use in making fence posts. However, it’s also used for railroad ties, barrels, flooring, and construction timbers. A casual observer might confuse it with Quercus alba (the white oak, not to be confused with the white oak group, of which it is also a member). It shares many of the white oak’s common features: lobed leaves, gray and irregularly grooved bark with platelike scales, acorns that are low in tannins, and closed-grain wood with a pleasant aroma. Post oaks tend to be somewhat smaller and more contorted than other white oaks, but the primary distinguishing characteristic is in the shape of its leaves—with notably larger and simpler lobes that form a cross-like shape.
Notes:: Another example is just up Haynes sitting on the elevated corner of Gratz and Haynes.