Tree highlight: Southern red oak
Southern red oak
Quercus falcata (Family: Fagaceae)
Southern red oak makes a good shade tree because of its sturdy form and spreading crown
The basics
Southern red oak is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 70 feet and is native to the Southeastern U.S., from southern New Jersey south to central Florida, and west to Texas and eastern Oklahoma. It occurs naturally throughout Kentucky except in the extreme east and in the inner Bluegrass region. Also called ‘Spanish oak’ or ‘water oak,’ southern red oak grows on dry upland sites, preferring south and west-facing slopes, and also does well as a landscape or urban tree. Its leaves are approximately 6 inches long, dark shiny green, deeply lobed, with bristle tips and an elongate, sickle-shaped middle lobe. As the tree matures, it produces small, 1/2 inch yellow-brown acorns and develops dark, ridged bark.
Did you know?
- The species name “falcata” means sickle-shaped, in reference to the shape of the leaf’s main lobe.
- Southern red oak is in the red oak group, which have bristles on the tips of their lobes.
- The acorns of the southern red oak take two years to mature.
- Because of its sturdy form, spreading crown, and tolerance to drought, southern red oak makes a good shade tree and is often used in parks and landscapes.
Sickle-shaped middle lobe of leaves of southern red oak
Southern red oak acorns are around 1/2 inch in size
Wildlife
- As with all oaks, southern red oak is an excellent wildlife tree that contributes to forest biodiversity. The acorns feed wild turkey, deer, squirrels, woodpeckers, bluejays, and more.
- The spreading crown of southern red oak provides excellent nesting and cover for birds and small mammals.
- Southern red oak serves as a host plant for numerous butterflies and moths, including the Imperial moth and hairstreak butterflies.
Uses
- The wood of southern red oak is strong, heavy, and coarse-grained, and is used in general construction and as railroad ties.
- Its drought tolerance makes it a useful landscape tree.
- Indigenous peoples used southern red oak medicinally and as a food source.
Dark, ridged bark of a southern red oak tree
Benefits
Over a 20-year period, a healthy southern red oak with a diameter of 20 inches will offset 6,460 car miles worth of CO2, absorb enough stormwater to fill 1,718 bathtubs, and remove an amount of pollution from the air – in gaseous and particulate form – equivalent in weight to 101 smartphones! Learn more at: https://mytree.itreetools.org/
Learn more
Tree of the week video
By University of Kentucky Forestry and Natural Resources Extension
Click to watchContact us: ufi@uky.edu
Images sourced from forestyimages.org