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Northern Illinois Bur Oak

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From: Alan Kohr City: Schwenksville, PA
I ordered some "Northern Illinois Bur Oak" acorns on eBay. I assumed that they were Bur Cup Oak acorns (Macrocarpia) which are the largest acorns in the oak family. These acorns are I received were much smaller, about the size of black oak acorns. The acorns were all mature and viable (float test). Do you know of a variety of oak named the "Northern Illinois Bur Oak?" I searched the internet, but could not find anything. Thank you.
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
Hi Alan: My experience w/ bur oak in the Midwest is that the further north you go, acorns and cupules become smaller relative to the same species in central Illinois. This is likely due to genetic variation and the migration of the species over millenia. Some botanists used to recognize several varieties of bur oak, but those varieties are no longer recognized by taxonomists (source: www.itis.gov). Best of luck!
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