Burgambel Oak Acorns

currently unavailable Excellent Acorn Production on a Small Tree  

One of the best selections for acorn production, burgambel begins producing acorns at a young age when the trees are only 3-6 feet tall. The acorns ripen early in the season starting in September. Medium growth rate, Burgambel averages 1-2 ft. per year. The acorns usually have very low tannin content, making them easier to process for acorn flour. The acorns are usually recessed into the cap although some fall out on their own. 

The Burgambel oak tree develops a compact, rather bushy crown to 40 ft. Trees have various shapes and sizes. Some round, others upright. Best in dry, sandy well-drained sites. One of the most durable hybrids for dry climates, the tap root often develops lots of hair roots and is easily transplanted compared to red oak. It also regenerates roots quickly and once established regains its growth rate right away. 

I grew many different sources of this hybrid tree including, California, Utah, Texas and Montana. Each of these crosses really had their beginnings in the Cottam oak collection however a private breeder had selected many of these on his own and began crossing other gambel oaks in his home state of Texas. As a result, I kept many of these seed sources separate and when acorns are available, I will include the seed sources and their characteristics that identify them and their progeny.  Many of these selections have super high yields meaning that the trees have huge crops every 2nd or 3rd year. There are very few oaks at my farm that have higher yields of acorns than burgambel. The small acorns are usually low in tannins and can be easily processed for flour. Named varieties will be listed here once images are made of the acorns and comments on the yields. In some instances the differences are small between the trees and others there is more variation. 

Growing this seed strain from seed is probably the most uniform hybrid oak there is. The blend of the two species is very even across the whole population. Many of the crosses appear to be more in line with the bur oak here because gambel oak is difficult to grow in Michigan and remains stunted possibly due to both air and soil moisture being too high for this location. The goal would be to establish seedling populations. These would less likely to fluctuate from super high to nothing yields as well as find stable individuals with medium consistent yields. The whole population is so evenly produced it is likely there is need for clonal production. The wood on these few plants that I have experimented with is very hard. I am guessing it is due to gambel oak and its background. It is likely even seedling plantings you could find more timber like individuals so when the orchard needed refurbishing you could save the logs for lumber.