Native to the eastern, southern, and Midwestern US.
Mature height of 60-90 feet, mature width of 60-90 feet.
Thrives on well-drained, deep soiled sites. Occurs in all soil textures and moisture contents, but prefers slightly acidic sandy loam.
Very large (6-10 inches), wavy, irregularly lobed leaves that turn scarlet in the fall.
Important host to many species of moths and butterflies, and its acorns are staple food for small mammals, turkeys, woodpeckers and deer.
Very fire resistant.
Dark gray to black, rough-textured bark.
Consuming leaves and acorns can cause low-severity poison symptoms in humans, but not animals, including stomach pain and excessive thirst.
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
Red oaks are some of the oldest and tallest trees in the US, and used to dominate forests all over the northern US. Very few old growth oaks remain, but the few pockets of these trees that do still exist, such as the 400+ year old, 130 foot tall Shera-Blair Red Oak in Frankfort, Kentucky, are impressive to behold.
Due to the genus' widespread range and usage among human populations for thousands of years, the oak has a near universal symbolic value of robustness, longevity and stability.
Red oaks are a common sight in forests and nature trails, leading to their reptuation as a comforting and familiar sight for outdoors lovers.
The red oak and its vibrant fall color captures the imaginations of artists, writers, and regular people alike, with the tree featuring in some of the famous painter Thomas Cole's landscapes and in Henry David Thoreau's writings, among other works.
Specimen photographed found in the Back Bay Fens in Boston, Massachusetts. Part of the Woodland Plants assignment (10/6/2021).
Plant History and Etymology
Quercus is Latin for "oak", and rubra is Latin for "red". The northern red oak has long been a source of hardwood. Its heavy, hard wood is great for both rough and polish uses ranging from railway ties and fences to furniture. The acorns were eaten by Native Americans, boiled and soaked to remove the poisonous qualities. As they evolved in tandem with a fire-managed ecosystem, increases in fire management practices across its native range led to a decrease in overall oak population as more shade-tolerant trees have become favored.
Design Considerations
Its large leaves and bright red fall colors are its most aesthetically interesting features. It is somewhat shade intolerant, so new plantings of it under an existing tree canopy may not survive. They are susceptible to fire, but are adapted to reestablish after fire disturbances in the wild. Northern red oaks have a high volume of acorn and leaf litter every year, but acorns are not extremely abundant until they reach about 50 years old. These fallen acorns can lay dormant for 2-3 years before beginning to sprout.
Sources
“NORTHERN RED OAK Quercus Rubra L.” n.d. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_quru.pdf.
“Quercus Rubra (Northern Red Oak): Go Botany.” 2021. Nativeplanttrust.org. 2021. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/quercus/rubra/.
“Quercus Rubra (Northern Red Oak, Oaks, Red Oak) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” 2021. Ncsu.edu. 2021. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-rubra/.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Quercus Rubra.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. July 3, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_rubra.
“Signs of Winter 11: Natural History of a Northern Red Oak.” 2020. Ecologist’s Notebook. February 27, 2020. https://sites.psu.edu/ecologistsnotebook/2020/02/27/signs-of-winter-11-natural-history-of-a-northern-red-oak/.
“Thomas Cole’s Refrain: The Paintings of Catskill Creek | Thomas Cole National Historic Site.” 2019. Thomascole.org. January 28, 2019. https://thomascole.org/refrain/.
Leroy, Thibault, Christophe Plomion, and Antoine Kremer. 2019. “Oak Symbolism in the Light of Genomics.” New Phytologist 226 (4): 1012–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15987.