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.
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Type:
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Tree
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Origins:
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Eastern N. America
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Height:
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50’ - 75’
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Spread:
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50’ - 75’
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Spacing:
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60’
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USDA Hardiness Zone:
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4 - 8
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Culture:
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Full Sun
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Bloom Color:
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Green
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Season of Interest:
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Fall
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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
