Quercus phellos (Willow Oak)

A confirmed deer-resistant and salt-tolerant favorite for urban and street plantings, willow oak's unlobed, willow-shaped leaves make for genuinely easier fall cleanup than most oaks - though at the northern edge of its range in Pennsylvania, the species is listed as state endangered.

Species Overview

Quercus phellos, or willow oak, is a medium to large, fast-growing deciduous tree native to a broad area of the eastern, southeastern, and south-central United States, reaching 50 to 80 feet with a cone-shaped crown that rounds with age. It is easily distinguished from other oaks by its narrow, willow-like leaves without lobes or teeth, which turn yellow to orange-brown or red-brown in fall.

Application

• Urban street tree and shade tree plantings - confirmed pollution and salt tolerant
• Wet bottomland and streambank restoration
• Deer-pressured sites
• Fine-textured shade tree plantings where easier leaf cleanup is valued

Growing Conditions / Specification Data

• Light: Full Sun
• Soil/Moisture Tolerance: Wet bottomlands to drier uplands; medium to fast-draining soils; requires ample water
• Growth Rate: Rapid
• Plant Type: Tree
• Mature Height: 50-80 ft.
• Fall Color: Yellow
• Wetland Indicator Status: FAC - not confirmed AGCP-specific, see flags
• Native Range: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (full list) - Pennsylvania marks the species' northern range limit
• Pollinator Value: Keystone species - though the wind-pollinated flowers hold no nectar value, oaks as a genus are among the most important keystone plants for supporting caterpillar and moth diversity, feeding the food web that songbirds depend on.
• Hydrology: Moist
• Root Depth: Deep (24-36 in.)
• Salinity Tolerance: Moderate
• Drought Tolerance: Moderate
• Flood Tolerance: High - Listed directly among genuinely flood-tolerant trees suitable for planting in areas where flooding is a possibility.
• Shade Tolerance: Intermediate
• Growth Habit: Rounded - oval to rounded crown
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
• Deer Resistance: Yes (Rarely Damaged)

Planting Guidance

• IMPORTANT: listed as a Pennsylvania endangered species, at the northern edge of its natural range - worth conservation awareness for Pennsylvania-bound restoration orders. Shallow-rooted and readily transplanted. Can suffer iron chlorosis in high-pH soils.