Northern Red Oak (A Field Guide for TSA Campus Woods)

Northern Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Summary ²

Quercus rubra, commonly called northern red oak or champion oak, (syn. Quercus borealis), is an oak in the red oak group (Quercus section Lobatae). It is a native of North America, in the northeastern United States and southeast Canada. It grows from the north end of the Great Lakes, east to Nova Scotia, south as far as Georgia and states with good soil that is slightly acidic. Often simply called "red oak", northern red oak is...

Comments ³

This large and stately tree is justifiably popular among members of the public. It is among the largest oak trees and requires plenty of room. Among species in the Red Oak group, Northern Red Oak can be distinguished by its leaves, which are less deeply lobed than many other members of this group, and by its large acorns with shallow cups. When its leaves are exposed to the sun, its petioles are often reddish, while the petioles of other oaks are typically light green or yellowish green. Some authorities recognize a variety of Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra borealis, that has acorns with deeper cups (extending to about one-third the length of each acorn). The wood of Northern Red Oak is hard, heavy and strong, but it is less durable in the presence of moisture than the wood of White Oak (Quercus alba). Furniture, cabinets, veneer, flooring, fence posts, caskets, and pulp for paper are made from its wood; Northern Red Oak also provides excellent fire wood.

Range and habitat in illinois ⁴

The native Northern Red Oak is a common tree that is probably found in every county of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland woodlands, drier areas of floodplain woodlands, north- and east-facing wooded slopes, sandy woodlands, typical savannas and sandy savannas, edges of limestone glades, wooded bluffs, and high riverbanks. Northern Red Oak is occasionally a dominant or codominant tree, but it often replaced by Sugar Maple and other trees that are more shade-tolerant. This oak is often cultivated as a landscape tree. Large trees have some resistance to wildfire, while smaller trees are usually top-killed. However, the latter sometimes resprout from their roots.

Faunal associations ⁵

The foliage of Northern Red Oak and other oaks is eaten by the caterpillars of several Hairstreak butterflies (Satyrium spp. & others), caterpillars of the skippers Erynnis juvenalis (Juvenal's Duskywing) and Erynnis brizo (Sleepy Duskywing), and the caterpillars of many moths (see Moth Table); moth species that feed on Northern Red Oak include Anisota senatoria (Orange-Striped Oakworm), Catocala ilia (Ilia Underwing), and Ulolonche culea (Sheathed Quaker). Galls are formed by the larvae of Amphibolips confluenta (Large Oak Apple Gall Wasp) and Andricus palustris (Succulent Oak Gall Wasp). The larvae of some beetles bore through the wood of these trees; this includes Arrhenodes minutus (Oak Timberworm), Enaphalodes rufulus (Red Oak Borer), Goes debilis (Oak Branch Pruner), and many others (see Wood-Boring Beetle Table). The leaf beetles Metachroma laevicolle and Xanthonia striata feed on the foliage, while larvae of the acorn weevils Curculio nasicus and Curculio sulcatulus eat the meat of acorns. A variety of small insects have been observed to feed on Northern Red Oak

Damaging agents ⁶

Wildfires seriously damage northern red oak by killing the cambial tissue at the base of trees, thus creating an entry point for decay-causing fungi. Wildfires can be severe enough to top kill even pole- and sawtimber-size trees. Many of the top-killed trees sprout and thus create new evenaged stands, but the economic loss of the old stand may be great (24). Small northern red oak seedlings may be killed by prescribed fires (13), but larger stems will sprout and survive, even if their tops are killed.

Oak wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum) is a potentially serious vascular disease of northern red oak and kills trees the same year they are infected. It usually kills individuals or small groups of trees in scattered locations throughout a stand but may affect areas up to several hectares in size. Oak wilt is spread from tree to tree through root grafts and over longer distances by sap-feeding beetles (Nitidulidae) and the small oak bark beetles (Pseudopityophthorus spp.) (12,23).

Shoestring root rot (Armillaria mellea) attacks and may kill northern red oaks that have been injured or weakened by fire, lightning, drought, insects, or other diseases. Cankers caused by Strumella and Nectria species damage the bole of northern red oak and although trees are seldom killed, the infected trees are generally culls for lumber. Foliage diseases that attack northern red oak but seldom do serious damage are anthracnose (Gnomonia quercina), leaf blister (Taphrina spp.), powdery mildews (Phyllactinia corylea and Microsphaera alni), and eastern gall rust (Cronartium quercuum) (12).

The carpenterworm (Prionoxystus robiniae), Columbian timber beetle (Corythylus columbianus), oak timberworm (Arrhenodes minutus), red oak borer (Enaphalodes rufulus), and the twolined chestnut borer (Agrilus bilineatus) are important insects that attack the bole of northern red oak. These insects tunnel into the wood, seriously degrading products cut from infested trees (3).

The most destructive defoliating insect attacking northern red oak is the imported gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). This insect repeatedly defoliates trees and has killed oaks including northern red oak in a wide area in the northeastern United States. Northern red oak can recover from a single defoliation but may be weakened enough for some disease or other insects to attack and kill them. Other defoliators, that attack northern red oak are the variable oakleaf caterpillar (Heterocampa manteo), the orangestriped oakworm (Anisota senatoria), and the browntail moth (Nygmia phaeorrhoea). The Asiatic oak weevil (Cyrtepistomus castaneus) attacks northern red oak seedlings and has the potential to seriously affect seedling growth because the larvae feed on the fine roots while the adults feed on the foliage.

Much damage is done to northern red oak acorns by the nut weevils (Curculio spp.), gall-forming cynipids (Callirhytis spp.), the filbertworm (Melissopus latiferreanus), and the acorn moth (Valentinia glandulella) (7). In years of poor acorn production, these insects can destroy the entire crop.

Fire management implications ⁷

More info for the term: competition

With 7,000 seedlings per acre (17,290/ha), a 50 to 60 percent reduction
in northern red oak seedling numbers may be acceptable as long as
competing vegetation is reduced. However, this spring fire had little
effect on competing vegetation. Study results suggest that a single,
low-severity spring burn may harm northern red oak seedlings where
postburn competition is intense. More research is needed to determine
conditions under which prescribed burns might control competing
vegetation and favor northern red oak reproduction.

Other uses and values ⁸

More info for the term: tree

The acorns of many species of oak (Quercus spp.) were traditionally an
important food source for Native American peoples [118]. Acorns of red
oak were leached with ashes to remove bitter tannins and then used in
various foods by many Native American peoples. Preparations made from
the bark were used to treat bowel problems [38].

Northern red oak was first cultivated in 1724 [84] and is a popular
ornamental shade tree in eastern North America and in parts of Europe
[47,101].

Comments ⁹

Trees with large nuts only one-fourth covered by flat saucer-shaped cups often are treated as Quercus rubra var. rubra ; those with smaller nuts one-third covered by cup- or bowl-shaped cups are treated as Q . rubra var. borealis (F. Michaux) Farwell. While E. J. Palmer (1942) suggested that these two varieties do not breed true, K. M. McDougal and C. R. Parks (1986) found evidence of correspondence between morphologic types and flavonoid chemotypes. This is one of the most important ornamental and timber trees in the genus.

Native Americans used Quercus rubra for a number of medical purposes, including the treatment of sores, weakness, lung problems, sore throat, dysentery, indigestion, chapped skin, chills and fevers, lost voice, asthma, cough, milky urine, hear trouble, blood diseases, and Italian itch, and as an appetizer (D. E. Moerman 1986).

Quercus rubra reportedly hybridizes with Q . coccinea (= Q . × benderi Baenitz) and Q . ellipsoidalis (P. C. Swain 1972; R. J. Jensen et al. 1993); with Q . ilicifolia (= Q . × fernaldii Trelease), Q . imbricaria [ Q . × runcinata (A. de Candolle) Engelmann], and Q . marilandica (E. J. Palmer 1948; D. M. Hunt 1989); with Q . nigra (D. M. Hunt 1989); and with Q . palustris (= Q . × columnaris Laughlin), Q . phellos (= Q . × heterophylla F. Michaux), Q . shumardii (= Q . × riparia Laughlin), and Q . velutina (= Q . × hawkinsii Sudworth).

Sources and Credits

(c) AntÃ³nio Pena, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/8358282@N02/3235731853
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_rubra
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29586636
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29450458
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29450459
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22779396
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24643410
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24643396
(c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/19824767

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

‹ › ×

Northern Red Oak

Summary 2

Comments 3

Range and habitat in illinois 4

Faunal associations 5

Damaging agents 6

Fire management implications 7

Other uses and values 8

Comments 9