County of tree: Boone County
Location of tree: Burr Oak Rd., between Huntsdale and McBaine
This Burr Oak tree, known locally as The Big Tree, is a Burr Oak (Bur Oak) almost 400 years old. It was viewed and logged by Lewis and Clark in 1804, already a huge tree
"NEAR EAGLE BLUFFS CONSERVATION AREA stands mid-Missouri’s greatest natural landmark. The stalwart tree has withstood centuries of storms, droughts, floods, and vandalism.
"As the largest burr oak in Missouri, the tree is tied with another in Kentucky for the title of national champion (largest) burr oak tree. It would take four full-grown men to be able to wrap their arms completely around the trunk, which boasts an impressive 287-inch circumference. A huge gathering of picnickers could relax in the shade under the 90-foot-tall tree’s 130-foot spread.
"The tree is estimated to be between 380 and 400 years old, which means it’s older than all but the very first few European settlements in North America and has witnessed centuries of United States history. Lewis and Clark even passed by the tree on their journey up the Missouri River.
"This tree is nothing if not resilient. As the only tree for 1,000 feet in any direction, it has survived multiple lightning strikes. In 1993, floodwaters swallowed the land and rose to six feet above the ground. On other years, droughts have threatened to parch the behemoth plant.
"The tree has also sadly been the victim of vandalism, but efforts are being made to prevent further damage to the iconic oak. Because the tree is so old, scientists have tried to examine its genetic material to help prolong its life." ~ Atlas Obscura
"Bur Oak (Burr Oak)
Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa
Family: Fagaceae (oaks)
Description: Bur oak is a medium to very large tree with a broad, spreading, rounded crown, a massive trunk, and low, large, spreading branches.
"Leaves are alternate, simple, 6–12 inches long, 3–6 inches wide, spatula-shaped, and broadest near the middle; margin with 5–9 lobes, notches shallow on the outer half but deeply cleft near the base, the notch of the two largest lobes almost reaching the central vein; lobe tips rounded; upper surface dark green; lower surface downy and pale.
"Bark is thick, gray-brown, and deeply grooved at maturity; ridges long, flat-topped.
"Twigs are light brown, hairy, becoming darker and smooth with age; twigs often develop corky ridges after the first year.
"Flowers April–May, in catkins.
"Fruits September–October, acorns solitary or paired. Nut brown, rounded to broadest near the base, ¾–2 inches long; cup deep, hairy, enclosing ½–¾ of the nut, the scales along the edge producing a fringed or ragged mossy-looking border. Acorns edible, ripening in autumn of the first year.
"Similar species: This is our only native oak to develop acorns with such an unusual fringed border along the cup. But there is nonnative oak that also produces fringed or shaggy-cupped acorns; it is often planted as a street tree or in other landscape plantings and can escape into the wild: sawtooth oak (Q. acutissima), a native of Asia. Its leaves are quite different, being entire, unlobed, 4–8 inches long, with a toothed margin, with each tooth bearing a bristle at the tip (something like the leaves of an American chestnut). Its acorn cup scales are almost all fringed or shaggy, while only the scales along the rim of the cup are elongated in bur oak." ~ Missouri Department of Conservation