Northern red oak, Red Oak
Quercus rubra

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows to 25 m tall and spreads to 22 m wide. The trunk is 30-90 cm wide. It has long dark green leaves with pointed lobes. The leaves are 10-20 cm long. There are 7-9 lobes. The base is broadly wedge shaped. The are several large bristle tipped teeth. Each lobe tapers towards the tip. The leaf stalk is 2.5-5 cm long. These turn reddish and yellow-brown in autumn. The fruit are acorns. These are 12-25 mm long and almost as wide. The cup is saucer shaped. It encloses one quarter of the nut.

There are about 600 Quercus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is native to eastern North America. It is frost hardy. It cannot tolerate competition and shade. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, Hungary, North America, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

Nuts are dried and the bitterness can be removed by boiling in some changes of water. The ground and roasted nuts can be used for coffee.

Edible parts

Seeds, nuts

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds, cuttings or division of the root.

A fast growing tree. Trees live for 150 years.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Quercus borealis;