A fast-growing deciduous oak with sharply lobed leaves that turn deep crimson in autumn, widespread across eastern North America.
Where it grows
Northern red oak occupies cool, well-drained slopes from Nova Scotia south to Georgia and west to Iowa. It tolerates a wide range of soils but reaches its best growth on deep, moist loams. It is one of the fastest-growing oaks, often gaining 60 cm a year in youth.
How to recognise it
The leaves have 7 to 11 sharply pointed lobes tipped with bristles, the classic mark of the red oak group. Autumn colour ranges from russet to fire engine red. Bark is dark grey with smooth ski-track ridges between the fissures. Acorns take two seasons to mature and have shallow saucer-like cups.
Uses
Red oak heartwood is open-pored, so it cannot hold liquids like white oak, but its strength and workability make it the most widely used hardwood for American furniture, flooring, and millwork. It also tolerates urban pollution and is a common street tree.
Ecology
A single red oak can support more than 500 species of caterpillar, supplying critical protein for nesting songbirds.
Find more trees by letter
Red Oak starts with R and ends with K. Browse other trees along the same letter.
Trees that contain a letter from "Red Oak":