Northern red oak
Description
A large oak, Quercus rubra (syn Quercus borealis), native to North America, growing from Kansas northwards to Canada and from the Great Lakes west to the Pacific Ocean. The northern red oak produces a hard, strong timber that has a pale reddish brown color. It is used for furniture, flooring, veneers, shipbuilding, railroad ties, and interior trim.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Appalachian red oak; Quercus rubra; Quercus borealis; Rød-Eg (Dan.); Roteiche (Deut.); chêne rouge d'Amérique (Fr.); Amerikaanse eik (Ned.); roble americano (Esp.); carvalho vermelho americano (Port.)
Physical and Chemical Properties
Tree grows to 35 m with straight trunk and round crown Bark=Gray-brown developing shiny vertical ridges with age. Leaves=oblong with 7 to 11 bristle-tipped lobes Fruit=round acrod with flat, thick cap, matures in two years in late summer. Density = 44 pcf
Resources and Citations
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 555
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
- Hardwood Manufacturers Institute, Memphis Tenn.: air-dry weight = 44 pcf
- Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 8, 2005)
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_borealis (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005)