TREES, SHRUBS, AND FORESTS 



383 



THE WHITE OAK (QUERCUS ALBA) 



Habitat and habit. The white oak may be taken as a typical 

 example of a hardwood forest tree as compared with the soft- 

 wood coniferous trees represented by the spruces and pines. It 



FIG. 236. Spreading habit of the white oak (Quercus alba) 

 Photograph furnished by the United States Forest Service 



forms an important constituent of the great central hardwood 

 forest, where it attains its best development <c on the western 

 slopes of the Allegheny mountains and in the central Mississippi 

 and lower Ohio basins." While the white oak can maintain itself 

 on almost any soil, the above habitat indicates its preference for 

 the rich, loamy soils on gentle slopes, bottom lands, and coves. 



