English Oaks Light Up Late Autumn

NICK KREEVICH • CURATORIAL MANAGER

In autumn, vibrantly colored oaks in red, orange and gold hues illuminate the landscape at the Arboretum. Minnesota is home to seven species of native oaks, but that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the worldwide distribution of the genus, Quercus, which includes more than 430 species. There is one unique species of oak thriving at the Arboretum that has not only defied its designated USDA zone hardiness, but continuously puts on a late autumn show with its golden foliage, long after other trees have dropped their leaves.

Meet the English oak, a robust species of oak also known by its Latin name, Quercus robur, which is native to most of Europe and parts of far Western Asia. No, it’s not a native oak, but I’ll just let the photo do it justice. Despite this species originating on the other side of the pond, it still provides wildly beneficial resources to our own native fauna, including abundant acorn crops.

Acquired as a seed in 1959, the pictured English oak has stood the test of time, growing with the Arboretum throughout the decades.

Photo by Nick Kreevich

We have four specimens here at the Arboretum, two of which were received as seed in the late 1950s. Given to the Arboretum by a private individual, the pictured English oak is one of those original 1959 acquisitions. Those seeds and their genetics have stood the test of time, surviving several decades of harsh Minnesota winters and proving that the English oak does have the ability to thrive in Zone 4b. It’s amazing to see just how large a tree can grow in a short 64 years, making it practically a teenager, as this species of oak can live for more than 500 years.

The original documentation marks the tree’s growth through its first few years.

Oaks, along with maples and ginkgos, are some of the most prized trees when it comes to fall color. What makes the English oak unique is not only the consistent wash of gold, but also the late timing of color change. When all the other trees have senesced — or dropped — their leaves at the end of autumn, the English oak looks like a golden beacon in a sea of bare branches. It is the definition of a standout specimen tree for the managed landscape.

To get a close up view of the photographed English oak, be sure to stop by our Oak and Nut Collection, offering its peak fall color typically around the end of October.