Red oak (Quercus rubra)
Appearance: A magnificent tree that sheds its leaves for winter, which can reach heights up to 35 meters. The crown is still conical in young specimens, later much wider, and in mature age very wide and domed.
The trunk is quite massive, at the same time, however, it is very short and already at a slight height above the ground, it is divided into larger ones, thick branches, Branches arched or steeply raised, in the middle and upper zones of the crown, they are often whorl and radially arranged.
Bark clear- or silver gray, stays smooth for a long time, later more and more cracked, divided into planes and slightly darker. Grooved shoots, hairless, quite stiff and strong, reddish brown. Leaves long 10-25 cm and width about 10 cm are oval or obovate in outline, wedge-tapered at the base, slim and pointed at the front. On both sides, they fall into three to five flaps, separated by bays reaching in depth 4-5 cm, so dividing the lamina approximately halfway. Each flap has three fairly narrow peaks or tips with a small bristle at the top. The upper surface of the leaf is not shiny, has a dark green color, and the lower one is also matte, it is usually a bit brighter, with poorly developed tufts of hairs at the nerve axils. Petiole has 2-3 cm in length, at the base it is clearly thickened and reddish. Acorns broadleaf, on the peduncle approx 1 cm in length, they are placed in a very shallow bowl and only mature in the second year. The autumn color of the leaves is strikingly red only in younger trees, in the elderly – unevenly yellowish and brown. Occurrence. The homeland of red oak is the eastern part of North America, where its natural range extends roughly from Nova Scotia, or the area of the Great Lakes, all the way to South Texas. Thanks to forest cultivation, this species has long been widely introduced in Europe and is also often planted as a park and ornamental tree..
Flowering period: Maj.
General thoughts: The genus Quercus is represented in North America and East Asia by many more species than in Europe. The reasons can be found in the history of vegetation in Central Europe, During the Ice Age, to the next glacier slide from the north, the plants responded by retreating south. However, the already uplifted Alps stood in the way. In North America, species susceptible to cold could spread southwards unhindered and therefore have survived until today,