Southern red oak

Southern red oak Quercus falcata

Description

A medium sized oak tree, Quercus falcata, native to the Atlantic states of the U.S. The southern red oak produces a light red wood with a coarse grain. The strong wood is used for lumber, furniture and flooring. The bark is a source of tannin.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Quercus falcata; red oak; turkey oak; spotted oak; Spanish water oak; Spanish oak; red hill oak

Southern red oak Quercus falcata

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Medium tree growing to 30m with rounded crown.
• Bark = thick, dark with depp narrow furrows, inner bark is slightly yellow.
• Leaf = obvoate with bristle-tipped lobes often resembling a turkey foot.
• Fruit = small, rounded acorns with thin flat cap, maturation takes two years

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

• Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 8, 2005)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_red_oak (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005)