Northern Red Oak
Latin name: Quercus rubra
Etymology: Quercus rubra gets its name from the tint of its wood. Quercus is the Latin word for ‘oak’ while the species name comes from the Latin word for ‘red’ (rubra).
Family: Fagaceae (Beeches)
Origin: Eastern North America
Native habitats: Found primarily in forests on mesic slopes and well-drained uplands.
Northern red oaks are common in Herrontown Woods. Look up the trunk for the telltale smooth, vertical, gray “ski slopes” in the bark.
Description: Northern Red Oaks have a height of between 70-80 feet and a diameter of 3-4 feet. Leaves are divided less than halfway to the mid-vein into 7–11 shallow wavy lobes with a few irregular bristle-tipped teeth. They are hairless, thin and dull above and measure more 6-10 inches. The bark is dark and shallowly furrowed and often laced with broad shiny strips. The inner bark is reddish to pink. End buds are hairless and not angled. Flowers are insignificant catkins that appear between April and May. Fruits are 0.75- to 1.5 inch-long, smooth acorns singly or in pairs on a very short stem. The flat and saucer like cup covers the upper 1/4 of the nut and occurs from August until October.
Similar species: Black oak has leaves which are somewhat hairy beneath, end buds which are densely hairy and a bowl-shaped, finely gray-hairy acorn-cup with a rough edge of fringelike scales.
Wildlife value: Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopterans such as Imperial Moth, Banded Hairstreak or Gray Hairstreak. The acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and black bears.
Uses: The acorns of red oak (and other oak species) were an important food source for Native Americans. Some tribes are known to have used the bark as medicine for heart troubles and bronchial infections. It was also used as an astringent, disinfectant, and cleanser. The lumber is used for furniture, veneer, interior finishing, cabinets, paneling, and flooring as well as for agricultural implements, posts, and railway ties.
