A visual identification guide to oak trees, including pictures of oak leaves, bark, and acorns to assist you in identifying the correct type of oak tree.

Oak, genus of about 450 species of trees and shrubs in the beech family (Fagaceae), distributed throughout the north temperate zone and at high altitudes in the tropics. Oak species are characterized by alternate, simple, deciduous or evergreen leaves with lobed, toothed, or entire margins.

In this guide, we’ll explore 58 common types of oak trees with detailed descriptions and identification tips. You’ll learn about their native regions, growth habits, leaf characteristics, and USDA hardiness zones.

The meaning of OAK is any of a genus (Quercus) of trees or shrubs of the beech family that produce acorns; also : any of various plants related to or resembling the oaks.

Oak trees are stately trees that can live for hundreds of years. These are the most common types of native oak trees that thrive in the South.

When you plant an oak, you’re planting a tree that supports a diverse, complex web of life. Oaks are essential to the food web, attracting caterpillars that turn into pollinating moths and butterflies or become food for birds to feed their young.

“It really wasn’t a huge surprise that oak was chosen as the national tree,” says Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation. Over 60 species of oak trees (Quercus) grow in the United States.