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Compare sources for Quercus coccinea

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Field
Oaks of the World
The Sibley Guide to Trees
Common Names
scarlet oak
Scarlet Oak, Black Oak, Spanish Oak
Geographic Range

Eastern USA; to 1500 m; introduced in Europe in 1691;

Growth Habit

reaches 25 m tall; lower part of the trunk without dead wood;

Decidous. Medium to large tree often 80’.

Leaves

7-20 x 5-13 cm; oboval or oval; base truncate or slightly cuneate; 3-5 lobulate lobes each side of the midrib; lobes paired often unequally; terminal lobe more important (longer and/or larger); veins not always opposite, ending into bristle-tips; rather deep sinuses, widely rounded; lustrous dark green above, paler beneath with prominent whitish veins; both sides lustrous and glabrous except sometimes some brownish axillary tufts beneath; purplish at fall; petiole slender, hairless, yellow, 2.5-6 cm long;

  • 6”
  • deeply lobed
  • light green underleaf with tufts of hair along midvein
  • Fall color often brighter red
Fruits (Acorns)

acorn sub-globulous or ovoid, 1.2-2.5 cm, red brown, rarely striate; sessile or short-stalked; enclosed 1/2 or 1/3 by cup; cup half-round, deep, thin-edged, shiny, often with warted scales; maturing in 2 years;

  • 3/4”
  • deep tightly scaled
  • var tuberculata produce acorns with warty cup scales
Flowers

in spring; male catkins 6-8 cm;

Twigs

reddish brown and realtivel slender

Buds

whitish hairy tip

Hardiness & Habitat

hardy; prefers acidic soils; fast growing;

Locally common in poor dry soils, dry slopes, and uplands.
Uncommon in cultivation.
Zones 4-9
Less tolerant than palustris or rubra

Additional Information

– Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae, Series Coccineae; – Different from other red oaks in the rounded sinuses and the large central lobe; – Hybridizes with Q.ilicifolia (= x robbinsii ), Q.velutina (= x fontana ), Q.palustris ;