Red Willow Oak Acorns-Bartram Oak-Ecos Selection

Bartram Oak-Cultivated Seed Source-Population of Quercus x heterophylla

My farm produced this population hybrid many years ago by finding a few good acorns on a lone willow oak in an arboretum in a full zone 5. This parent tree was near several red oaks including pin oaks. This species naturally created the hybrid trees from this original cross. The parent tree did not appear to be pure willow oak but from just leaf samples alone, it was difficult to key. It rarely produced acorns and when it did, the acorns were badly infested with weevils. Eventually one year the acorns were clean and I grew roughly three hundred trees. I kept the most vigorous seven trees which now are producing acorns at my farm. 

The result was a red oak type seed strain with very good vigor and form.  Each of the seedlings tend toward the middle of the spectrum of both willow and red oak with long lightly tooted leaves. In the location they are in, the trees have taken a minus 29F once with no winter damage. The grow outs I did reveal further selection could be done to improve fast growth. The trees I kept in my planting were only the largest caliper of the group and were pruned and thinned three separate times to focus on the most vigorous seedlings with strong branching. Today these trees are over 40 ft. tall and in great health.

This heterophylla oak has the characteristic upright symmetrical growth of red oak with the thick dark green leaves of willow oak. Each tree is now likely hybridized within the group as well as my nearby  Rocket red oak.  Even from seed, this would be a good landscape oak or used as a timber type oak. The variety is stable enough to use as is or develop cultivars from for grafting. 

To germinate the acorns: plant in the fall or give cold dormancy via moist and refrigeration 38F to 42F for 90-120 days. After the cold dormancy put at room temperature. Acorns will begin sprouting immediately. It is a very easy oak to grow in small pots. Note: red oak type acorns need this cold dormancy.