Northern Red Oak
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 60-75' tall and wide. Rounded in youth, in old age often round-topped and symmetrical,. Fast growth, especially for oaks. Typically around 1' per year, but can grow up to 2' per year in moist, well-drained soil. Long lived, 200-300 years.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Nova Scotia to Pennsylvania, west to Minnesota and Iowa. Introduced 1800.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are monoecious, male in pale yellow-green catkins, females greenish and borne on short spikes in new leaf axils, occurring in May. Fruits Nut, 0.75-1" long acorns, variable in shape, but usually subglobose, medium brown with grayish streaks, enclosed at the base in a flat, thick, saucer-like cap, mature in two years and fall early, solitary or paired.

Leaf and Bark Features

Fall color is usually not much more than yellow-brown, but occassionally can be russet-red to bright red. Bark when young has distinct flat gray areas intermingled with ridged and furrowed areas. Older bark brown to nearly black, broken up into wide, flat-topped, gray ridges, separated by shallow fissures. Very old trees are often deeply ridged and furrowed.

Culture and Care

Transplants readily, and prefers well-drained, sandy loam, acid soils and full sun. Will develop chlorosis in high pH soils. Basically free of problems, though mild cases of typical oak diseases may develop.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Oaks can hybridize freely within the same "group," and there are abundant hybrids evident in landscapes and the wild. For instance, red and black oak are associated together in the wild and hybrids frequently occur.

Suggested Uses

A valuable fast-growing oak for lawns, parks, golf courses and commercial areas.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA