Quercus rubra ~ Northern Red Oak

Quercus rubra ~ Northern Red OakNorthern Red Oak is a native deciduous tree with a rounded to spreading irregular crown. The lustrous dark green foliage with pointed lobes and pale undersides turn brownish red in fall. The acorns have saucer shaped cups, but can take up to 40 years to produce an abundant crop. Best grown in full sun and rich, sandy well drained acidic soils. Quercus rubra supports a wide variety of moths and butterflies, including: the Imperial Moth, Banded

Northern Red Oak is a native deciduous tree with a rounded to spreading irregular crown.  The lustrous dark green foliage with pointed lobes and pale undersides turn brownish-red in fall.  The acorns have saucer-shaped cups, but can take up to 40 years to produce an abundant crop.  Best grown in full sun and rich, sandy well-drained acidic soils.

Quercus rubra supports a wide variety of moths and butterflies, including: the Imperial Moth, Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace’s Duskywing, and the Juvenal’s Duskywing. 

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Low Maintenance.  Susceptible to oak wilt, which has no cure, and chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) which occurs when soils are not acidic enough.

LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Woodland Gardens, Naturalized Areas, Wildlife Gardens,  Privacy Screen, and Shade Tree.

COMPANION PLANTS: Crape Myrtle, Serviceberry, Magnolia

IMAGES:  Matthieu Sontag, Quercus rubra, CC BY-SA 3.0, (2) Bruce Kirchoff from Greensboro, NC, USA, Quercus rubra (23571535243), CC BY 2.0, (3) Photo by Greg Gjerdingen, DSC03645, (4) Photo by Katja Schulz, Northern Red Oak, (5) Famartin, 2020-03-22 12 52 10 A Red Oak beginning to green up in early spring along Franklin Farm Road in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia, CC BY-SA 4.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown