HLC-17

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Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

Common Name: Red Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus rubra
Other Names:

Leaf: Simple, alternate, deciduous; 10-20cm long, base broadly wedge-shaped; 7-9 lobes, with several pointy-tips on the larger lobes; each lobe tapered from base to tip separated by round notches; dull yellowish green above and paler beneath; leaves turn red in autumn; Leaf stalk stout, 1-3mm wide, 2.5-5cm long.
Flower: Tiny; unisexual with male and female on same tree; male flowers in hanging, 10-13cm catkins; female flowers in small clusters; flowering in spring as leaves expand.
Fruit: Acorns 12-25mm long, almost as wide, short-stalked; lower 1/4 – 1/3 in saucer-shaped cup of thin, hairless, reddish-brown scales; tips rounded with a small, abrupt point; acorns mature in second autumn which means both large (2nd year) and small (1st year) acorns generally present.
Twig: Stout, reddish-brown and hairless with five-pointed pith (in cross-section).
Bark: Young bark smooth, dark grey; mature bark with long, low, pale grey ridges, eventually checkered.
Wood: Wood pinkish to reddish-brown, hard, heavy, coarse-grained.

Facts About This Tree:
1. Native to Canada, Red oak is a medium sized tree growing 25m high, 30-90cm (up to 120cm) in trunk diameter and lives 150 years.
2. Some Native tribes soaked red oak acorn kernels in flowing water for several days to draw out the toxic tannins to made them edible.
3. Although moderately shade-tolerant when young, Red oak prefers dry, sunny slopes. They are susceptible to decay under moist conditions.
4. Small mammals such as squirrels and raccoons, as well as white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkeys and blue jays, eat Red oak acorns. Deer browse on the young twigs in winter.

Lat, Long: 43.74124509, -79.79316205
Diameter (DBH): 80.6 cm
Last Year Modified: 2015
Carbon Stored in this Tree: 2221.748 kg of C
Equivalent CO2: 8145.595 kg of C

Find more trees in Heart Lake Conservation Area.

Reference
1. Linda Kershaw. 2001. Trees of Ontario. Edmonton, AB Canada. Lone Pine Publishing
2. Farrar, J. L. 2007. Trees in Canada. ON. Canadian Forest Service.
3. Photo Credit: Daniel J. Kim; Kathryn Chin; MONGO [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Northern_Red_Oak_%28Quercus_rubra%29_bark_detail.jpg; Rudolf Schafer, via Flickr – https://flic.kr/p/byX7FT; Red Oak by John Picken Photography, via Flickr – https://flic.kr/p/aMenqp
Copyright 2015 Association for Canadian Educational Resources