Quercus rubra

Description

Quercus rubra
Common Name: Northern Red Oak | Type: Tree
Family: Fagaceae  | Native Range: Eastern North America
Zone: 4 to 8 | Height: 50.00 to 75.00 feet  | Spread: 50.00 to 75.00 feet
Bloom Time: May  | Bloom Description: Yellowish-green
Sun: Full sun | Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low  | Suggested Use: Shade Tree, Street Tree
Flower: Insignificant | Leaf: Good Fall
Tolerate: Drought, Dry Soil, Black Walnut, Air Pollution

Culture
Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, acidic soil in full sun. Prefers fertile, sandy, finely-textured soils with good drainage.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Quercus rubra, commonly called red oak or northern red oak, is a medium sized, deciduous tree with a rounded to broad-spreading, often irregular crown. Typically grows at a moderate-to-fast rate to a height of 50-75′ (often larger in the wild). Dark, lustrous green leaves (grayish-white beneath) with 7-11, toothed lobes which are sharply pointed at the tips. Leaves turn brownish-red in autumn. Insignificant flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in spring. Fruits are acorns (with flat, saucer-shaped cups) which mature in early fall. An abundant crop of acorns may not occur before this tree reaches 40 years old. A Missouri native tree which typically occurs on northern- and eastern-facing wooded slopes throughout the State.

Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for oak trees.

Specific epithet means red.
Problems
Generally a durable and long-lived tree. Susceptible to oak wilt which is a systemic fungal disease that has no cure. Chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves while the veins remain green) often occurs when soils are not sufficiently acidic.