Fagaceae -- Beech family

    Paul S. Johnson

    Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), also known as blue oak,  mossy-overcup oak, mossy-overcup oak, and scrub oak, has the  largest acorns of all native oaks and is very drought resistant.  It grows slowly on dry uplands and sandy plains but is also found  on fertile limestone soils and moist bottomlands in mixture with  other hardwoods. In the west, it is a pioneer tree invading  prairie grasslands, and it is planted frequently in shelterbelts.  The acorns become an important source of food to wildlife. The  wood is commercially valuable and marketed as white oak. The  comparative ease with which bur oak can be grown makes it a fine  tree for streets or lawns.