Oak, Northern Red
Quercus rubra
Fagaceae - Beech and Oak

Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; oblong to obovate; 5 to 8 long, 4 to 5 wide; deciduous; 7 to 11, coarse-serrate, pointed lobes on margin; dark green, glabrous, and lustrous to dull above; paler beneath but with occasional small tufts of hair where veins meet; deep red to red-orange fall color; petiole 1 to 2 long, yellowish, glabrous.

Twigs/buds: Twigs moderately stout; red-brown to green-brown. Terminal buds 1/4 long, clustered, pointed, with many red-brown scales; lateral buds smaller.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious. Fruit an acorn; 1 long, red-brown, inner surface of nut shell woolly; cap shallow, saucer-shaped, usually covering only the base of the nut; matures in two seasons.

Bark: Smooth on young stems; eventually brown to nearly black with shallow furrows and wide, flat-topped ridges.

Wood: Very important; sapwood white to pale, red-brown; heartwood pink to light red-brown; growth rings very distinct; ring-porous; rays conspicuous to naked eye; valuable wood used for flooring, cabinets, and furniture.

General: Native throughout most of the eastern U.S. Usually found naturally on fairly good sites. Intermediate shade tolerance. Acornscan be a nuisance.

Landscape Use: This is a good oak for planting in Utah where soil pH is not too high. It is a good alternative to pin oak because it is more tolerant of high soil pH and less likely to exhibit iron chlorosis. It is fairly tough and free of problems but needs more water than bur oak. Has a large, broad canopy and very nice branch structure; grows at a medium rate and gets large. Very good red fall color. Zones 4-8.

Cultivars: 'Aurea', 'Splendens'.

Characteristics

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