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Northern Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Wikipedia Summary 5

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 eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It grows from the north end of the Great Lakes, east to Nova Scotia, south as far as Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, and west to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. It has been introduced to small areas in Western Europe, where it can frequently be seen cultivated in gardens and parks. It prefers good soil that is slightly acidic. Often simply called red oak, northern red oak is so named to distinguish it from southern red oak (Q. falcata), also known as the Spanish oak. It is also the state tree of New Jersey and the provincial tree of Prince Edward Island.

At the Garden 6

Red oaks represent a major component of the Thain Family Forest's mature trees, along with a closely related (and similar in appearance) black oak (Q. velutina). One individual red oak represents possibly the oldest tree on the grounds of the Garden.

Summary 7

Distinguishing Features: Shallow and pointed lobes with bristles at tip, large acorns

Shape: Up to 75 feet tall, rounded outline
Branching: Alternate
Leaf: Lobed, 5 to 8 inches long, dark green, russet-red, yellow and tan in fall
Flower: Male flowers are drooping yellowish green catkins about 2-4 inches long, often occurring in groups of 3.
Bark: Brown to black on old branches and trunks, bark on young branches is smooth
Fruit or Seed: Acorn, up to 1.5 inches long

Source URL:
http://phillytreemap.org/
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/

Description 8

Fagaceae | northern red oak

Habitat: Woods, and mountains in the south of its region.

Leaves: Elliptic, ovate, or obovate, to 8" long and 6" across, with slender-toothed lobes, matte dark green and smooth above, paler and smooth with small tufts of brown hairs in the vein axils beneath, turning red-brown in autumn; lobes end in bristlelike point.

Bark: Gray and smooth, becoming deeply furrowed.

Flowers: Males in yellowish green, drooping catkins, females inconspicuous, separately on the same plant in late spring.

Fruit: An acorn, to 1 1/4" long, one-quarter enclosed in a shallow cup.

Coombes, A. J. (1992). Trees. New York: Dorling Kindersley.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) António Pena, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/8358282@N02/3235731853
  2. (c) Rasbak, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amerikaanse_eik_eikels_Quercus_rubra_acorns.jpg
  3. François André Michaux (book author), Augustus Lucas Hillhouse (translator), x (artist), y (engraver), no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NAS-028_Quercus_rubra.png
  4. (c) Dcrjsr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quercus_rubra_N_red_oak_bark.jpg
  5. Adapted by bkmertz from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_rubra
  6. (c) bkmertz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  7. (c) earthwatchtrees, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/228484
  8. (c) floracliff, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/238354

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