Species profile
Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpa
7,919 on Toronto's streets — 1.15% of the city's catalogued canopy.
🍁 Fall colour Oct 10 – Oct 30: gold-brown, long-lived tree
Toronto history — Bur oak — the signature species of Ontario's lost oak savannas. Native, long-lived (300+ years). Some of Toronto's veteran bur oaks predate the city itself.
Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to central and eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, Quercus sect. Quercus, and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, or scrub oak. The acorns are the largest of any North American oak, and are important food for wildlife.
Planting profile (from the City of Toronto)
| Native to | Native to Ontario |
| Mature size | Large, 20m high by 18m wide |
| Growth rate | Slow |
| Sensitivity | Hardy |
| Best site | Lawns and boulevards |
| Plants under overhead wires | Yes |
Where they cluster
| Neighbourhood | Trees |
|---|---|
| West Humber-Clairville | 315 |
| York University Heights | 304 |
| Morningside Heights | 279 |
| Milliken | 145 |
| Eringate-Centennial-West Deane | 145 |
| Humber Summit | 136 |
| Downsview | 132 |
| Malvern East | 125 |