TREE OF THE MONTH
Photos provided by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
By Leonard Phillips, ASLA Emeritus
Trade Name: 'Prairie Stature™' Oak
Botanical Name: Quercus bimundorum
'Midwest'
Parentage: Quercus robur x Q. alba
seedling selected by North Dakota State
University
Family: Fagaceae
Introduction: 2008
Hardiness Zone: 3-8, best in Zones 3-5
Height: 50 feet
Spread: 40 feet
Growth Rate: Good, 14 inches per year;
35 feet in 25 years
Form: Broadly pyramidal
Bloom Period: Early to mid-March
Flower: 3- to 4-inch-long catkins in late
March to early April
Fruit: 1-inch-long acorn covered with
1/4-inch cap
Spring Color: Green
26 Arbor Age / November/December 2013
Summer Foliage: Dark green, glossy,
leathery
Autumn Foliage: Yellow-orange to red
Winter Color: Tan leaves and bark provide winter interest
Bark: Gray/brown
Habitat: Europe and eastern half of U.S.
Culture: Tough and adaptable
Pest Resistance: Resistant to mildew
Storm Resistance: Excellent
Salt Resistance: Good to excellent
Planting: Transplants readily as B & B
provided the root ball is oversized and
the tree is watered frequently during the
first season, suitable for use in CUStructural Soil
Pruning: Seldom needs pruning except to
raise lower branches
Propagating: Extremely difficult, grafting
and budding work best
Design Uses: Excellent for shade, street
tree or specimen only when space is
available
Companions: Use with shrubs such as
Taxus, evergreen Euonymus and perennials
Other Comments: A new selection that
is well suited to the prairies.
Available From: Difficult to find in retail
nurseries, look in the largest wholesale
nurseries that carry new introductions
* For information about the USDA
Hardiness Zone Map, visit
www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/index.html
These are the personal observations of the
author, living in New England – Zone 6.
Leonard Phillips can be reached via e-mail
at lenphillips@on-line-seminars.com
www.arborage.com
