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Quercus taxonomy
Quercus rubra L.
EOL Text
Trees with large nuts only one-fourth covered by flat saucer-shaped cups often are treated as Quercus rubra var. rubra ; those with smaller nuts one-third covered by cup- or bowl-shaped cups are treated as Q . rubra var. borealis (F. Michaux) Farwell. While E. J. Palmer (1942) suggested that these two varieties do not breed true, K. M. McDougal and C. R. Parks (1986) found evidence of correspondence between morphologic types and flavonoid chemotypes. This is one of the most important ornamental and timber trees in the genus.
Native Americans used Quercus rubra for a number of medical purposes, including the treatment of sores, weakness, lung problems, sore throat, dysentery, indigestion, chapped skin, chills and fevers, lost voice, asthma, cough, milky urine, hear trouble, blood diseases, and Italian itch, and as an appetizer (D. E. Moerman 1986).
Quercus rubra reportedly hybridizes with Q . coccinea (= Q . × benderi Baenitz) and Q . ellipsoidalis (P. C. Swain 1972; R. J. Jensen et al. 1993); with Q . ilicifolia (= Q . × fernaldii Trelease), Q . imbricaria [ Q . × runcinata (A. de Candolle) Engelmann], and Q . marilandica (E. J. Palmer 1948; D. M. Hunt 1989); with Q . nigra (D. M. Hunt 1989); and with Q . palustris (= Q . × columnaris Laughlin), Q . phellos (= Q . × heterophylla F. Michaux), Q . shumardii (= Q . × riparia Laughlin), and Q . velutina (= Q . × hawkinsii Sudworth).
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The native Northern Red Oak is a common tree that is probably found in every county of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland woodlands, drier areas of floodplain woodlands, north- and east-facing wooded slopes, sandy woodlands, typical savannas and sandy savannas, edges of limestone glades, wooded bluffs, and high riverbanks. Northern Red Oak is occasionally a dominant or codominant tree, but it often replaced by Sugar Maple and other trees that are more shade-tolerant. This oak is often cultivated as a landscape tree. Large trees have some resistance to wildfire, while smaller trees are usually top-killed. However, the latter sometimes resprout from their roots.
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
| Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/red_oak.html |
More info for the terms: fire exclusion, prescribed fire, series
Prescribed fire: Prescribed fire can be an important tool for
regenerating oak stands. However, results do not always favor oak.
Crow [25] reported that "although there is abundant evidence of a
general relationship between fire and the occurrence of oak, prescribed
burning is not yet a viable silvicultural tool for regenerating oak
stands." Most oaks sprout vigorously after fire, and competing
vegetation can be much reduced [43]. However, a single low-intensity
fire may have little impact on competing vegetation [25]. According to
Crow [25], a "commitment to frequent burning is needed to compensate for
decades of fire exclusion." In the southern Appalachians, biennial
summer burns are usually most effective in promoting advance
regeneration. Single pre- or post-harvest burns generally have
little effect [121].
Timber harvest and fire: Fire can be used to control competing
herbaceous vegetation after timber harvest [18]. A series of cool or
low-severity prescribed fires prior to timber harvest can promote
advanced regeneration in oaks [121].
Fuels and flammability: Wydeven and Kloes [131] reported that a "fairly
cool" fire in an uncut northern red oak stand produced flame lengths of
1 to 1.8 feet (0.3-0.56 m). A "very hot" fire in a cut stand generated
flames 1.6 to 20 feet (0.5-6.0 m) high.
In forest stands northern red oak begins to bear fruit at about age 25 but usually does not produce seeds abundantly until about age 50. Good to excellent seed crops are produced at irregular intervals, usually every 2 to 5 years (30).
Acorn production is highly variable among trees even in good seed years. Some trees are always poor producers while others are always good producers. Crown size seems to be the most important tree characteristic affecting acorn production. Dominant or codominant trees with large, uncrowded crowns produce more acorns than trees with small, restricted crowns (24).
Even in good years only about I percent of the acorns become available for regenerating northern red oak, and as many as 500 or more acorns may be required to produce one 1-year-old seedling. Many acorns are consumed by insects, squirrels, small rodents, deer, and turkey and other birds. They can eat or damage more than 80 percent of the acorn crop in most years and virtually 100 percent of the crop in very poor seed years (19,24,28). The large acorns are generally dispersed over only short distances. Gravity and the caching activities of squirrels and mice are the primary means of dispersal.
More info for the terms: cover, tree
Northern red oak provides good cover for a wide variety of birds and
mammals. Young oaks with low branches serve as particularly good winter
cover. Oak leaves often persist longer than those of many of its plant
associates and in some areas, young oaks may represent the only brushy
winter cover in dense pole stands [105]. Oaks frequently serve as
perching or nesting sites for various songbirds [19]. Many cavity
nesters, such as the red-bellied and hairy woodpecker, utilize northern
red oak [133]. The well-developed crowns of oaks provide shelter and
hiding cover for tree squirrels and other small mammals. Many birds and
mammals use twigs and leaves as nesting materials [74]. Large oaks
provide denning sites for a variety of mammals [19].
Fagaceae Beech family
Ivan L. Sander
Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), also known as common red oak, eastern red oak, mountain red oak, and gray oak, is widespread in the East and grows on a variety of soils and topography, often forming pure stands. Moderate to fast growing, this tree is one of the more important lumber species of red oak and is an easily transplanted, popular shade tree with good form and dense foliage.
More info for the terms: mesic, shrubs, vines
Northern red oak grows on a variety of dry-mesic to mesic sites [3]. It
occurs in rich, mesic woods, on sandy plains, rock outcrops, stable
interdunes, and at the outer edges of floodplains [29,124,126].
Northern red oak is most common on north- and east-facing slopes
[30,101]. It typically grows on lower and middle slopes, in coves,
ravines, and on valley floors [101].
Plant associates: Overstory associates of northern red oak are numerous
and include white oak (Quercus alba), black oak, scarlet oak, southern
red oak, post oak (Q. stellata), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus),
American beech (Fagus grandifolia), sugar maple, red maple (Acer
rubrum), black cherry (Prunus serotina), American basswood (Tilia
americana), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), white ash (Fraxinus
americana), green ash (F. pennsylvanica), aspen (Populus tremuloides),
hickories (Carya spp.), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), black walnut
(Juglans nigra), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), eastern hemlock (Tsuga
canadensis), and elm (Ulmus spp.) [12,76,82,101]. Flowering dogwood
(Cornus florida), holly (Ilex spp.), eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya
virginiana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), American bladdernut
(Staphylea trifolia), redbud (Cercis canadensis), persimmon (Diospyros
virginiana), and serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) are frequent small tree
associates [101]. Common understory shrubs and vines include greenbrier
(Smilax spp.), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), mountain-laurel (Kalmia
spp.), leatherwood (Dirca palustris), witch-hazel (Hamamelis
virginiana), beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta), spice bush (Lindera
benzoin), poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), grape (Vitis spp.), and
rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) [101]. Numerous herbaceous
species occur with northern red oak.
Climate: Annual precipitation averages 30 inches (76 cm) at the
northwestern edge of northern red oak's range and 80 inches (203 cm) in
the southern Appalachians [101]. Mean annual temperatures range from 40
degrees F (4 deg C) in the North to 60 degrees F (16 deg C) in the South
[24]. Growing season length varies from 100 to 220 days. Northern red
oak reaches its best development in the Ohio Valley and along the west
slope of the Allegheny Mountains where precipitation averages 40 inches
(102 cm) annually and average annual temperature is 52 degrees F (11
degrees C) [101].
Soils: Northern red oak grows on clay, loam, and sandy or gravelly
soils [20,101]. Soils may be deep and free of rocks, or shallow and
rocky [33]. Plants generally exhibit best growth on deep, fertile,
well-drained, finely textured soils with a relatively high water table
[26,39,101]. Soils are derived from a variety of parent materials
including glacial outwash, sandstone, shale, limestone, gneiss, schist,
or granite [101].
Elevation: Northern red oak grows at relatively low elevations in the
Smoky Mountains. The variety rubra typically grows at lower elevations
than does the variety borealis [129]. Generalized elevations ranges by
geographic location are as follows [73,101,113]:
Location Elevation
s Appalachians up to 5,500 feet (1,680 m)
White Mtns. NH up to 1,476 feet (450 m)
IN 700 to 850 feet (214-259 m)
MO 800 to 1,300 feet (244-397 m)
MI 600 to 700 feet (182-214 m)
NY 900 to 1,400 feet (275-427 m)
NC 2,300 to 5,000 feet (702-1,525 m)
WV 1,800 to 3,500 feet (549-1,070 m)
WI 800 to 1,000 feet (244-305 m)
More info for the terms: prescribed fire, tree
Seedlings, saplings, and pole-sized individuals commonly sprout if girdled by fire. Damaged seedlings can often sprout several times and may ultimately grow beyond the fire-susceptible stage [43]. Sprouting ability appears to decrease as plants age. Large trees much less likely to sprout if severely damaged by fire. On the George Washington National Forest, West Virginia, a spring prescribed fire promoted northern red oak seedling establishment but reduced northern red oak sprouts in a mixed-hardwood forest. Average red oak seedling densities before fire and in postfire year 5 were 0 and 26 seedlings/acre, respectively; northern red oak sprout densities were 658 sprouts/acre before and 0 sprouts/acre 5 years after the fire. See the Research Paper of Wendel and Smith's [135] study for details on the fire prescription and fire effects on northern red oak and 6 other tree species.
For further information on red oak response to fire, see Fire Case Studies. The Research Project Summaries Effects of surface fires in a mixed red and eastern white pine stand in Michigan and Early postfire effects of a prescribed fire in the southern Appalachians of North Carolina and the Research Paper by Bowles and others 2007 provide information on prescribed fire and postfire response of several plant species, including northern red oak, that was not available when this species review was originally written.
Northern red oak is monoecious. The staminate flowers are borne in catkins that develop from leaf axils of the previous year and emerge before or at the same time as the current leaves in April or May. The pistillate flowers are solitary or occur in two- to many-flowered spikes that develop in the axils of the current year's leaves. The fruit is an acorn or nut that occurs singly or in clusters of from two to five, is partially enclosed by a scaly cup, and matures in 2 years. Northern red oak acorns are brown when mature and ripen from late August to late October, depending on geographic location (30).
Browse: Dry, fallen leaves are relatively high in protein but low in
digestibility for deer [44]. The nutrient content of northern red oak
browse has been reported as follows [90]:
Crude Ether Crude N-free
Dry matter % protein % extract % fiber % extract %
---------------------------------------------------------------
33.3 13.27 2.15 23.88 55.37
Acorns: Northern red oak acorns are relatively low in protein,
phosphorous and crude fiber but are a good source of metabolizable
energy, starches, sugars, and fat [90,95,107,126]. One pound of
northern red oak acorns contains approximately 1,300 calories [95].
Crude available protein of northern red oak acorns has been estimated at
4.6 to 5.92 percent [65]. Smith and Follmer [109] reported that
northern red oak acorns exhibit relatively high tannin levels (6
percent). Other studies have reported tannin levels ranging from 4.34
to 15.90 percent [15,126,127].