Quercus falcata

Taxobox
name = Southern Red Oak

---

image_width = 240px
image_caption = Leaf and bark
status = G5
status_system = TNC
status_ref =Cite web
publisher =NatureServe
title = Quercus falcata
work = NatureServe Explorer
url = http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Quercus+falcata+
accessdate = 2007-07-07]
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Rosopsida
ordo = Fagales
familia = Fagaceae
genus = "Quercus"
sectio = "Lobatae"
species = "Q. falcata"
binomial = "Quercus falcata"
binomial_authority = Michx.

"Quercus falcata", commonly known as the Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak, is a tree in the red oak section ("Lobatae") of the genus "Quercus" native to the southeastern United States. It occurs on dry or sandy upland sites from southern New York (Long Island) south to central Florida and west to southern Missouri and eastern Texas.

It is a medium sized deciduous tree reaching 25-30 m tall, rarely 35 m, with a trunk diameter up to 1.5 m, the crown with a broad, round-topped head. The leaves are 10-30 cm long and 6-16 cm wide, with 3 to 5 sharply pointed, often curved, bristle-tipped lobes, the central lobe long and narrow; the small number of long, narrow lobes is diagnostic, readily distinguishing Southern Red Oak from other red oaks. The base of the leaf is distinctly rounded into an inverted bell shape and often lopsided. They are dark green and shiny above, and rusty and hairy below, particularly along the midrib and veins. The fruit is a short acorn 9-16 mm long long, bright orange-brown, enclosed for one-third to half of its length in a flat cup. The acorn matures at the end of its second season. The bark is dark brownish gray with narrow, shallow ridges.

Southern Red Oak has been reported to form occasional hybrids with several other red oaks in the region.

Uses

The wood is hard, strong, coarse-grained, and light-red in color; it is marketed with related species as simply "red oak". It is used for lumber, furniture and flooring. Its bark is also a source of tannin.

References

External links

* [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501030 Flora of North America: "Quercus falcata"]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=QUFA USDA Plants Profile: "Quercus falcata"]
* [http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/falcata.htm USFS Silvic Manual: "Quercus falcata"]
* [http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/qufa.htm "Quercus falcata" images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
*commons-inline