I have been collecting White Oak acorns from anywhere I can find them including hotels we have stayed. I have taken pockets full and planted them around the property wherever I could heel the ground, drop one in and cover it. My problem is I have so many Water Oaks dropping acorns I can’t identify if the White Oaks are coming up or Water Oaks.

Can some of you experts give me some clues?

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Water oaks are notorious for having highly variable leaves as a seedling. But none of those look like the water oaks around here.

I think those are all Water Oaks in the photos. I found the following information at -- https://leafyplace.com/oak-tree-leaves/

Water Oak -
Water oak leaves are easily identifiable due to their tan undersides and dark, lush green upper sides. The deciduous leaves have three to five bristle-tipped irregularly shaped lobes and a U-shaped base. The large leaves turn reddish brown in the fall.

Water oak leaves measure 3” to 6” (7.5” – 15 cm) long.

White Oaks -
White oak leaves have lobes that are rounded and can be deep or shallow, depending on the species of the oak tree. You should also count the number of lobes to identify the tree using the oak leaf.

Typically, white oak leaves measure between 5” and 9” long.

They probably are but like I said highly variable. Ours vary between a single blade like a willow oak, to a three lobed that can range from three fingers like you split a willow oak leaf to broad lobed like a blackjack.

Our white oaks look like white oaks as seedlings.

Post oaks can get a little weird as I think they can cross with white oaks, but they'll have the cross though the lobes may vary.

Quercus bicolor. ‘Swamp white oak”.

Water oaks are a red oak and will have tiny bristles on the tips of the lobes, white oaks will not have bristles on the tips.

Start them in pots then replant them. Unless you get the wrong acorns mystery solved

Those oaks around hotels are mostly sawtooth oaks. They are actually better than white oak. They produce every year and draws deer away from white oaks. I planted some a few years ago. Oh and you'll actually live long enough to see them produce.

I’m impressed someone on the east coast is planting hardwoods. It seems most people plant pine or some kind of softwood for quick cash.

You burn?

This ^^^^^

Those are all water oak seedlings in HT's pics.

The second one looks like it belongs in the red/black oak family. Sharp points on the lobe ends of the larger leaves.

When they are big, I don’t have much trouble.

Water Oak



Red Oak



White Oak



And Not sure. lol

I do, but most of that comes from clearing of woods for development.

thats what I thought, never heard of "water oak", but am familiar with swamp white oak.

I did a search and there is a water oak, Quercus nigra, so the swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) and water oak are 2 different things

this is why its important to use correct taxonomical names at times, such as Water Oak (Quercus nigra).

We call them cow oaks. They make a big acorn like a white oak. They drop at the same time as the white oaks. Deer and hogs and turkeys love them!

That looks a lot like a chestnut oak. They are in the white oak family. I have a few on my property and the leaves look just like that. A large one died a year ago and I'm having it milled into lumber to use in the shop.