Red Oak
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra L.
Chêne rouge
Range:
The common oak of eastern Canada; ranging from east of Lake Superior to Nova Scotia.
Planted as a landscape tree (Zones CA3, NA4).
Leaves:
10-20 cm long, base broadly wedge-shaped.
7-9 lobes with several bristle-tipped teeth on the larger lobes.
Each lobe tapers from base to tip, separated by rounded notches.
Central lobe is about as long as the width of the leaf between opposite notches.
Upper surface dull yellowish-green, paler beneath, with tufts of hairs in the vein axils.
Stalk is stout, 1-3 mm wide, 2.5-5 cm long.
Leaves on young trees are toothed rather than lobed.
Buds:
Terminal bud is ovoid, 6-8 mm long, pointed, shiny reddish-brown, smooth except for a few brownish hairs at the tip.
Twigs:
Moderately stout, reddish-brown.
Fruits:
Acorns 12-25 mm long, almost as wide, short-stalked.
Cup is saucer-shaped, 15-25 mm across, enclosing about one-quarter of the nut.
Scales are thin, hairless, reddish-brown.
Bark:
Smooth, dark gray when young.
With age, becomes grooved by wide shallow dark furrows into long, flattish pale gray ridges.
Inner bark is pinkish.
Wood:
Pink to reddish-brown with an attractive grain.
Porous, not durable in moist situations.
Size and Form:
Medium-sized trees, up to 25 m high, 30-90 cm in diameter, and 150 years old.
Occasionally, they can grow over 30 m high and 120 cm in diameter.
Trunk is straight.
Crown is symmetrically rounded.
Root system is deep, spreading, with a taproot on deep soils.
Habitat:
Grows mixed with other broadleaf trees and eastern white pine.
Stunted on dry, rocky ridges toward the northern limit of its range.
Intolerant of competition and shade, though moderately shade-tolerant when young.
Notes:
The provincial tree of Prince Edward Island.
Quick Recognition:
Leaves with 7-9 lobes, each lobe wider toward the base and about equal in length to the constricted part of the leaf.
Notches are rounded.
Buds are 6-8 mm, shiny reddish-brown, pointed, with a few hairs at the tip.
Twigs are reddish-brown, hairless.
Acorns 12-25 mm long, almost as wide, with a shallow cup enclosing about one-quarter of the nut.
Bark smooth, dark gray when young, with wide grooves and long, flat-topped pale gray ridges as it matures.
Inner bark is pinkish.
Additional Notes (from Algonquin region):
The Red Oak is a "hardy northerner" and the only oak found in significant numbers in Algonquin Park.
In the park's western uplands, Red Oak is rare and typically grows only on rocky, southwest-facing ridge tops with warmer and drier microclimates.
Red Oak is more drought-tolerant than Sugar Maple, which is typically found on upland sites in the park.
Red Oak seedlings may die back due to overhead shade but can resprout multiple times, slowly building up a large root system.
After a fire, Red Oak seedlings benefit from the removal of shade, gaining an advantage over other species due to their large energy reserves.