Noted for its brilliant fall color, Quercus rubra (Red Oak) is a fast-growing, large deciduous tree adorned with an open, rounded to broad-spreading crown. The foliage of broad, lustrous dark green leaves, adorned with 7-11 toothed lobes, turns russet-red to bright red in the fall. Inconspicuous yellow-green catkins appear in spring as the leaves unfurl. Emerging a dusty bronze-red color, the spring foliage creates an effect as beautiful as any spring-flowering trees. Reminiscent of ski trails, the branches and upper trunk are marked with long, pale gray longitudinal lines. Among the first of the landscape oaks to ripen, the acorns are a valuable source of food for small mammals and birds, but Red Oak may take up to 40 years before the first crop of acorns is produced. Handsome, stately and adaptable, Red Oak is an excellent specimen tree for large areas, including urban areas.

• Grows up to 50-70 ft. tall and wide (15-21 m).
• A full sun lover, this tree is easily grown in fertile, dry to medium moisture, acidic, well-drained soils. Adaptable to extremes of soil, but it prefers acid, well-drained sites
• Perfect as a specimen plant.
• May be affected by aphids, oak gall wasps, powdery mildew and oak wilt.
• Propagate by seed, sowing as soon as ripe, in a coldframe or grafting in mid-autumn or early winter.
• Toxic to horses.
• Native to eastern North America