Spring Blooms

The white oak tree in the yard was a bare root stick when planted sixteen years ago.  In the intervening decade and a half it has grown into a handsome young adult.            

The other day I noticed that the tree had large numbers of catkins hanging from the prior year’s growth as the leaves of 2020 emerged from their buds.  These are one of the flowers that are produced by the tree – the male flower to be certain.  This species is monoecious – meaning that it produces both male and female flowers. Each male flower typically has six stamens (ranges from two to twelve) which have long spreading white filaments when the flower fully opens.  The female flowers are more reddish-green and appear as small slender spikes in the axils of new growth.           

I gave this tree a thorough examination and could find no flowers of the female persuasion. Not surprising inasmuch as they are not visible to the naked eye.  It is from the female flower that acorns are formed.  White oaks mature sufficiently at twenty or more years of age before they are capable of producing acorns.  Large numbers of acorns won't materialize until the tree is fifty years of age.  Which makes sense for a tree that will live many hundreds of years. 

Later this summer I'll report on any acorns that materialize.

Stay-tuned......