Relict Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa ‘Relict’)

Relict Bur Oak are seedlings grown from acorns collected from the Burr Oak Canyon in SW Nebraska. Surrounded by nothing but grazing cattle land the oaks are found below the horizon, hidden down in a canyon. Known to the locals as Burr Oak Canyon the trees themselves are truly one of a kind. It is believed that the canyon was untouched from prairie fires and devastating storms which has led to this unique tree’s survival for hundreds of years. Each tree inside the two mile long canyon is different from the one next to it with characteristics from both post oak and gamble oak being seen from tree to tree. The name ‘Relict’ is the ecology form meaning a plant that exists as a remnant of a formerly widely distributed group in an environment.

NATIVE RANGE

Relict Bur Oak is a cultivar selection of Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).

Map courtesy of USDA-NRCS Plants Database.