Great oaks—and gardens—from little acorns grow.
Beloved for their mighty stature, strong wood and abundant acorns, oaks trees (Quercus spp.) play an important role in both ecosystems and cultures across North America, Europe and eastern Asia. They are also extremely diverse, with approximately 500 species occupying a wide range of landscapes and habitats.
A proud member of the American Public Garden Association’s Plant Collections Multisite Oak (Quercus) Network™ , Duke Gardens has been a home to a Nationally Accredited™ oak collection since 2023, representing over 290 trees across 35 taxa. This continually evolving collection represents a mixture of naturally occurring North American native oaks, some of which predate the Gardens’ dedication in 1939, as well as cultivated oaks from around the world. Learn more about the accreditation process—and what this means for Duke Gardens going forward—below.
Oak species at Duke Gardens
(North American native species marked with a *)
Sawtooth oak, Q. acutissima
White oak, Q. alba*
Oriental white oak, Q. aliena
Bluff oak, Q. austrina*
Swamp white oak, Q. bicolor*
Scarlet oak, Q. coccinea*
Daimyo oak, Q. dentata
Southern red oak, Q. falcata*
Georgia oak, Q. georgiana*
Ring-cupped oak, Q. glauca
Laurel oak, Q. hemisphaerica*
Shingle oak, Q. imbricaria*
Laurel oak, Q. laurifolia*
Overcup oak, Q. lyrata*
Bur oak, Q. macrocarpa*
Swamp chestnut oak, Q. michauxii*
Chestnut oak, Q. montana*
Chinquapin oak, Q. muehlenbergii*
Chinese evergreen oak, Q. myrsinifolia
Water oak, Q. nigra*
Oglethorpe oak, Q. oglethorpensis*
Cherrybark oak, Q. pagoda*
Pin oak, Q. palustris*
Willow oak, Q. phellos*
Ubame oak, Q. phillyreoides
Northern red oak, Q. rubra*
Jolcham oak, Q. serrata
Shumard oak, Q. shumardii*
Post oak, Q. stellata*
Black oak, Q. velutina*
Southern live oak, Q. virginiana*
Bartram oak, Q. × heterophylla* (naturally occurring hybrid)
Virtual Oaks Tour
Join us on a virtual tour of select oaks at Duke Gardens to learn more about these incredible trees and expand your knowledge.
Post oak (Quercus stellata) in the Historic Gardens.
Expert Insights
Oaks at Duke Gardens Map
Oaks at Duke and Beyond
The Diversity of Oaks
With so many different kinds of oaks out there, how do botanists determine what an oak is in the first place, let alone distinguish them from each other?
Duke University Tree Viewer
Learn more about oaks and other trees on Duke University’s campus—now an accredited arboretum—in this interactive map.
Trees for Cooling the Climate
In addition to their other ecological benefits, oaks and other large trees play a key role in cooling the climate, on both a local and global level.
Links and Resources
- Recorded talk on oaks as keystone species from Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees.
- “Find A Plant” feature of the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox allows gardeners to easily find the right oak for their location.
- Trees of North Carolina ID Guide from NC State includes a detailed photographic key of native oaks using a variety of features.
- A detailed description of Oak Forest (Including Mixed Hardwoods And Pine) Piedmont Ecoregion from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, including a list of common animal species, and advice for landowners on how to manage and maintain wild stands.
- For help identifying insects and other creatures found on oaks, check out online crowdsourcing identification sites like iNaturalist and BugGuide.
Questions?
Please contact us at gardens@duke.edu.