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Species white oak (Quercus alba) Location North Bethesda, Maryland Date seeded c. 1718; 299 years ago (1718) Custodian Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Address Grosvenor Lane and Beach Dr, Beach Dr, Bethesda, MD 20814, United States Hours Open today ยท Open 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hours | ||
The Linden Oak is a large white oak tree in North Bethesda, Maryland, beside the junction of Rockville Pike and Rock Creek Park's Beach Drive. In 1978, a Maryland state agency estimated that it was seeded in 1718.
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6 7 class at linden oak
Significance
According to the 2011 National Register of Big Trees a tree in Indiana with a height of 110 feet (34 m) and a crown spread of 138 feet (42 m) is the largest white oak in the country. At a height of 97 feet (30 m) and a crown spread of 132 feet (40 m), when measured in February 2008 by the Maryland Big Tree Program, however, it seems the Linden Oak could replace the national champion.
The impressiveness of the great tree is somewhat diminished by the fact that five of its enormous, and lowermost, branches have had to be removed. One of the on-site plaques incorporates a photo of the tree in its former state.
Plaques
The Linden Oak is acknowledged by three on-site plaques.
The first plaque, placed in July 1976 by the Maryland Bicentennial Commission and the Maryland Forest Service, celebrates the "Maryland Bicentennial Tree" for its great age.
The second plaque, placed by the Montgomery County Department of Parks (also 1976) celebrates the "Linden Oak" as "the fourth largest of its species in the state of Maryland and the largest in Montgomery County". An age of over 250 years, height of over 95 feet (29 m) and crown spread of over 132 feet (40 m) are cited.
The third plaque, placed by the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning (no date), honors Idamae Garrott, a local politician and champion of the environment. Owing to her efforts in 1973, the adjacent stretch of the Washington Metro was built in an arc diverting around the tree to avoid disturbing it.
Metrorail tracks
When the tracks of Metrorail's Red Line were built, they were routed westward in order to avoid the path of Linden Oak.
Name
The origin of the name "Linden Oak" is unknown, though it is a possible reference to Greek/Roman mythology when the pair Baucis and Philemon were turned into two intertwining trees upon their deaths; one oak, and the other linden.