- Scarlet Oak
Taxobox
color = lightgreen
name = Scarlet Oak
status =
image_width = 240px
image_caption = Leaves and male catkins in spring
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Rosopsida
ordo =Fagales
familia =Fagaceae
genus = "Quercus"
sectio = "Lobatae"
species = "Q. coccinea"
binomial = "Quercus coccinea"
binomial_authority = Muenchh.The Scarlet Oak ("Quercus coccinea") is an
oak in the red oak section "Quercus" sect. "Lobatae". The scarlet oak is often confused with the Pin Oak, the Red Oak, and occasionally the Black Oak. It is mainly native to the easternUnited States , from southernMaine west to easternOklahoma , and south to southernAlabama . It is also native in the extreme south ofOntario ,Canada . It occurs on dry, sandy, usuallyacid ic soils.It is a medium-large
deciduous tree growing to 20-30 m tall with an open, rounded crown. The leaves are glossy green, 7-17 cm long and 8-13 cm broad, lobed, with seven lobes, and deep sinuses between the lobes. Each lobe has 3-7 bristle-tipped teeth. The leaf is hairless (unlike the relatedPin Oak , which has tufts of pale orange-brown down where the lobe veins join the central vein). Theacorn s are ovoid, 7-13 mm broad and 17-31 mm long, a third to a half covered in a deep cup, green maturing pale brown about 18 months afterpollination ; the kernel is very bitter.Uses
Scarlet Oak is often planted as an
ornamental tree , popular for its bright red fall color. Thewood is generally marketed as red oak, but is of inferior quality, being somewhat weaker and not forming as large a tree.External links
* [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501019 Flora of North America: "Quercus coccinea"]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=QUCO2 USDA Plants Profile: "Quercus coccinea"]
* [http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/coccinea.htm USFS Silvic Manual: "Quercus coccinea"]
* [http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/quco2.htm "Quercus coccinea" images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
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