OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
Genus: Quercus     Subgenus: Quercus     Section: Lobatae (red oaks)    

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae

VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 055-03-015:

Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae

 

COMMON NAME:
Northern Red Oak, Red Oak


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    jkm191222_2372_q_rubra

    Clay County    AL

Cheaha State Park

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_273

        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_274

        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_quercus_rubra_4

March        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    jkm0304e_13

April    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    jkm150412_312

April    Pickens County    SC

Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_quercus_rubra_2

April        

Upper trunk dark gray with conspicuous lighter gray vertical streaks, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Herbarium of Clemson University    h_cu26354

May    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Herbarium of Clemson University    h_cu83520

June    Pickens County    SC

Var. ambigua: Leaf sinuses extending about 1/3 of the way to the midrib, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    jkm0509k_21

September    Transylvania County    NC

Silver Run Preserve

Acorn cup thick, covering 1/4 or less of nut, which is 20-30mm long, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_quercus_rubra

September        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_quercus_rubra_1

September        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Ron Lance    rwl_20230919_190859

September    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

Occasionally a red oak with oversized acorns will be found (these nuts 3cm in diam, the cups 4cm).

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    s080924_e

September    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Leaves evenly lobed about halfway to midrib. Leaves, twigs & buds hairless, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Black, Northern Red, Scarlet and Shumard Oaks

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Herbarium of Clemson University    h_cu10783

October    Anderson County    SC

Var. rubra and ambigua tend to intergrade. Distinction may be unwarranted, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Herbarium of Clemson University    h_cu18607

October    Pickens County    SC

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_quercus_rubra_acorn

November        

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

JK Marlow    s071101_d

November    Oconee County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District

Var. rubra: Leaf sinuses extending about 1/4 of the way to the midrib, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Quercus rubra +, Northern Red Oak, Red Oak

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmqrubra_home

Month Unknown    Anderson County    SC

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae

VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 055-03-015:
Quercus rubra +   FAMILY Fagaceae

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1198

Tree
Perennial
Monoecious

Look for it forests of slopes, coves, and - depending upon variety - ridges or ravines, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common (rare to uncommon in Coastal Plain or Mountains, depending on variety)

map
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate, 5-ranked

FLOWER:
Spring
Staminate calyx 2-8 lobed, pistillate calyx 6-lobed
Petals absent
3-12 stamens in staminate flowers
Unisexual

Staminate flowers in clustered drooping catkins

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Acorn

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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