Oaks of the National Capital Region

by John Parrish

Did you know that of 50 species of oaks native to eastern North America, 20 are native to National Capital Region (NCR) parks? The most abundant oak in our region is the white oak (Quercus alba). Along with white oak, chestnut (Quercus prinus), black (Quercus velutina), red (Quercus rubra), and scarlet (Quercus coccinea) are the five most common oaks in the region. These five oaks are distributed in a very wide range across the eastern U.S. from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast states.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Less common to our region are eight species with primary ranges in the southeastern U.S. These include basket (Quercus michauxii), blackjack (Quercus marilandica), overcup (Quercus lyrata), post (Quercus stellata), Shumard (Quercus shumardii), Spanish (Quercus falcata), water (Quercus nigra), and willow (Quercus phellos) oaks. Another six uncommon species of the NCR are more commonly found west of the Appalachian Mountains. These six include bur (Quercus macrocarpa), chinquapin (Quercus muhlenbergii), dwarf chinquapin (Quercus prinoides), pin (Quercus palustris), shingle (Quercus imbricaria), and swamp white (Quercus bicolor). Yet, another uncommon species, the bear oak has northern affinities and occurs in mountainous terrain in the northwest portion of the NCR.

Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica)

NPS/Justin Hobart

There is a chance for a twenty-first species to be found in the region. Pagoda oak, native to the southeastern U.S. is known from sites along the Potomac River just south of Piscataway Park (NACE) near the southern border of the NCR. Except for pagoda oak, all oak species native to the Potomac River watershed are found in the NCR.

The diverse array of native oaks here is due to NCR parks being situated in the Mid-Atlantic Region across four Physiographic Provinces including the Valley and Ridge (ANTI, CHOH), the Blue Ridge (CATO, CHOH, HAFE), the Piedmont (CHOH, GWMP, MANA, MONO, PRWI, ROCR, WOTR), and the Coastal Plain (GWMP, NACE, PRWI). List of park acronyms.

Oak Species Found in NCR Parks

Generalist Species:

Common Name

Scientific Name

ANTI

CATO

HAFE

MONO

MANA

WOTR

ROCR

CHOH

PRWI

GWMP

NACE

White Oak

Quercus alba

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Chestnut Oak

Quercus prinus

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Black Oak

Quercus velutina

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Scarlet Oak

Quercus coccinea

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X indicates that species is present.

Southern Species:

Common Name

Scientific Name

ANTI

CATO

HAFE

MONO

MANA

WOTR

ROCR

CHOH

PRWI

GWMP

NACE

Basket Oak

Quercus michauxii

X

Blackjack Oak

Quercus marilandica

X

X

X

X

X

X

Overcup Oak

Quercus lyrata

X

X

Post Oak

Quercus stellata

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Shumard Oak

Quercus shumardii

X

X

X

X

X

X

Spanish Oak

Quercus falcata

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Water Oak

Quercus nigra

X

Willow Oak

Quercus phellos

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X indicates that species is present.

Western Species:

Common Name

Scientific Name

ANTI

CATO

HAFE

MONO

MANA

WOTR

ROCR

CHOH

PRWI

GWMP

NACE

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

X

X

Chinquapin Oak

Quercus muhlenbergii

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Dwarf Chinquapin Oak

Quercus prinoides

X

Pin Oak

Quercus palustris

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Shingle

Quercus imbricaria

X

X

X

X

X

Swamp White Oak

Quercus bicolor

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X indicates that species is present.

Northern Species:

Common Name

Scientific Name

ANTI

CATO

HAFE

MONO

MANA

WOTR

ROCR

CHOH

PRWI

GWMP

NACE

Bear Oak

Quercus ilicifolia

X

X

X indicates that species is present.

Park Acronyms

ANTI = Antietam National Battlefield
CATO = Catoctin Mountain Park
CHOH = Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
GWMP = George Washington Memorial Parkway
HAFE = Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
MANA = Manassas National Battlefield Park
MONO = Monocacy National Battlefield
NACE = National Capital Parks - East
PRWI = Prince William Forest Park
ROCR = Rock Creek Park
WOTR = Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

More on Oaks

The NCR Inventory & Monitoring Network (NCRN I&M) monitors trees like oaks as part of a larger forest vegetation monitoring effort. To learn more about this monitoring, visit the NCRN I&M vegetation monitoring page to view the latest reports and resource briefs.

This content was originally published in 2010, and was republished in an online format in 2024. NCRN I&M is expanding their work on oaks by working with collaborators at Virginia Tech to look into oak populations and health in the region.

Data for this article was compiled from NCRN I&M data, field observations by NCRN I&M Botanist John Parrish, and the Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America by J. Stein, D. Binion, and R. Acciavatti, (2003).