Water Oak (Quercus nigra) vs. Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
Updated January 11th, 2021Water oak and willow oak are sometimes confused, and often occur in the same range and habitats (bottomlands in the southeastern U.S.) and have similar growth habits, bark, and acorns. They are easily distinguished by differences in their leaves, but they also have subtle differences in acorns and bark. Water oak prefers sites slightly better-drained than willow oak, and is also found on a wider range of sites, sometimes occurring on mesic uplands; willow oak is rare on uplands, only occurring locally on poorly-drained sites.
