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Willow Oak Scientific Name: Quercus phellos Common Name: Willow Oak Division: Magnoliophyta Family: Fagaceae Genus: Quercus GENERAL DESCRIPTION The willow-like shape of the leaves and the thin twigs makes this a finer-textured tree than most other oaks. Its native habitat extends from New York south to Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is found in bottomlands and adjacent to streams and it adapts well to the urban environment. It has been planted throughout Central Park. Willow Oak along the East Drive at 103rd Street

Flower   Male and female flowers on same tree; male on slender yellowish-green catkin, female on short spike.  Both appear very early when tree leafs out. Fruit Small round acorn, about 1/2 inch long, with shallow, saucer-like cup. Leaf   Lance-shaped, resembling willow leaf but with bristle tip.  2-1/2 to 5 inches long, dark green in summer, change to brownish-yellow or orangey-yellow in the fall. Bark   Becomes gray and roughened by irregular furrows.   Form:  Medium-sized, up to 80 feet; older tree has dense oblong crown. LOCATIONS IN CENTRAL PARK One of Central Park’s oldest willow oaks stands at East 73rd Street east of the Drive. It is believed to be 150 years old. In the Ramble on shore path between Bow Bridge and Loeb Boathouse  There is a pair at 103rd Street and East Drive.  Delacorte Theater, mid-Park at 80th Street  East of Mineral Springs Café, mid-Park at 69th Street Photo Credit: Steve Baskauf, bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/ Matthew Brown, Central Park Conservancy Neil Calvanese, Central Park Conservancy