Northern Red Oak (MushroomExpert.Com)

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Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

[ Trees > Hardwoods > Oaks . . . ] Forest Type: Oak-Hickory

Range

Acorns encased only near the base, in a cup with pressed-down scales; buds small, smooth, reddish; leaves lobed, with bristle tips, with indentations about half way; growing in eastern North America.

by Michael Kuo

Note: The red oaks (those with bristle-tipped leaves) of eastern North America are notoriously difficult to separate--a task compounded by the fact that the trees often hybridize in nature. Many sources emphasize the dull, shallowly lobed leaves as a means of identifying Northern Red Oak, but I have not found these characters to be particularly useful, especially when trying to separate it from Black Oak. Here I have emphasized the structure of the acorns and the buds.

Habitat: Able to grow in dry or moist soil; often in mixed stands; east of the Great Plains.

Stature: 60-100 feet high (or larger); to 4 feet in diameter; with a broad, rounded crown.

Leaves: With bristle tips; 5-9 inches long; with 7-11 lobes; indentations extending about halfway to the midrib; often dull (not shiny) on the upper surface; dark green above; lighter green and smooth (except for hairs near the ribs) below.

Bark: Dark gray to black; thick; often furrowed and with wide, flat, paler ridges in age.

Acorns: Bitter; to 1 inch long; enclosed at the base, or to 1/3 of the length, in a shallow cup with pressed-down scales (the tips of the scales are not "free"); appearing every two years.

Buds: About 1/3 inch long; smooth and shiny, or with a few small hairs near the scales; reddish brown.

Sources: Preston, R. J. (1989). North American Trees. Ames: Iowa State UP; Mohlenbrock, R. H. (1978). Forest Trees of Illinois. SIU: Ill. Dept. Natural Res.; Peattie, D. C. (1991). A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Frequent Mushroom Associates:

Amanita species; Boletus species; Laetiporus cincinnatus; Russula species, and many others.

Further Online Information:

Northern Red Oak USFS Fact Sheet (PDF file)
Northern Red Oak at Trees of Western NC

Quercus rubra

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2005, September). Northern red oak (Quercus rubra). Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/quercus_rubra.html