Scarlet Oak
Quercus coccinea Muench.
Mature Size: 60 to 80 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.
Form: Relatively small branches, spreading to form a narrow, open, irregular crown; often retains many small, dead branches; base of trunk may be swollen.
Habitat: Dry, rocky upland soils.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 4 to 7 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide, with 5 to 9 pointed lobes deeply separated by wide sinuses that reach almost to the midvein; scarlet fall color.
Flowers
Males on slender yellow-green catkins; females on very short spikes; both appearing with the leaves in spring.
Fruit
Oval ½ to 1 inch acorn, enclosed ½ to 1/3 of its length in a deep, shiny, bowl-like cup; acorn tip often marked with ringed with circles resembling a target; matures in two seasons.
Bark
On young trees, smooth and gray; on older trees, darker with irregular broad ridges and narrow furrows, especially near the base.
Twigs
Moderately thick, red-brown; end buds clustered, reddish brown, plump, pointed, slightly angled and covered with a light colored fuzz on the top half.
Values and Uses
The wood is heavy, hard, strong and coarse-grained. It is used for lumber, flooring, beams, railroad ties and furniture. The acorns provide food for a variety of wildlife. The tree's brilliant fall color, rapid growth and drought tolerance make it a popular choice for landscape planting.
Did You Know?
Scarlet oak is comparatively short-lived, but it continues to produce stump sprouts much longer than other oaks. The swelling at the base of most scarlet oak trunks is caused by the chestnut blight fungus, which infects but does not kill the oaks.
