Identifying characteristics:
The scarlet oak has a pyramidal habit when young, becoming open and rounded
at maturity and reaching a height of 80 feet or more, with a spread of 50
feet. Leaves are alternate, simple
and 3 to 7 inches long, with 5 to 9 bristle-tipped lobes and nearly circular
sinuses. Leaves are dark, glossy green above and paler, with tufts of axillary
hairs below. Fall color is usually scarlet but may be russet. The leaf stalk
is yellow and up to 2.5 inches long. Male and female flowers
are produced in separate catkins. Male catkins are slender and hanging,
occurring on the previous year's growth. Female catkins are inconspicuous,
produced singly or in clusters of 2 to 5 on stalks, on the current year's
growth. Acorns are 0.5 to 1 inch long,
with the nut one-third to one-half covered by a bowl-shaped cup with thin,
reddish-brown, closely appressed scales. Acorns are usually marked with
concentric rings around the rounded apex and they mature in the second season.
The ovoid, imbricate buds are white and woolly above the middle and
dark reddish-brown and smooth below. Bark
is thin, smooth and light brown on young trees, becoming dark brown to blackish
and shallowly furrowed with irregular ridges.
Similar species:
- Hill's oak (Q. ellipsoidalis)
- other "red" oaks, such as northern red oak (Q. rubra)
Ecology:
Distribution: The scarlet oak is native to the eastern US from Maine
to Georgia. It is not native to Iowa.
Habitat: Found on upland sites, ridges and slopes, this oak does well in light or sandy, well-drained soils with moderately regular moisture. It is less tolerant of adverse conditions than the pin oak (Q. palustris) and red oak (Q. rubra). It can be difficult to transplant and is moderately intolerant of shading. The scarlet oak is less susceptible to chlorosis than the pin oak (Q. palustris), but is susceptible to fires which frequent upper slopes, causing it to resprout from the base. It is very susceptible to two of the pine-oak rust diseases and to oak leaf blister disease.
Uses:
Wood: The wood is usually sold intermixed with other oak wood.
It is reddish-brown, heavy, hard, strong and coarse-grained.
Wildlife: The acorns are an important source of food for many species of wildlife, such as squirrels, turkeys, grouse, larger songbirds and white-tailed deer.
Horticulture: The scarlet oak is an attractive ornamental shade tree with striking fall foliage. 'Splendens' is a form with especially glossy leaves.
