Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: 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.
Uses
Specimen, street tree, lawn tree.