Quercus rubra

It's a Red Oak!

Red oak goes all the way to northeast Nova Scotia, Canada down to southern Alabama! Check out the map to see this distribution.

You can find Q. rubra all over- Rich forests, sandy plains, rock outcrops...The most beautiful specimens will be in rich mesic forests, such as the crowned red oak Champion Tree in Ashtabula, OH (pictured)- that’s a nearly 9 foot diameter! See here.

It may very well be that the champion tree had some fungi helping with that growth- Q. rubra is known to have symbiotic relationships with various sac fungi that can be found coiled around the roots. Read about it here.

A less friendly fungus however is Diplodia corticola, a major pathogen to Q. rubra. Learn more here.

We have the white oak and red oak groups in MI. White oaks have rounded leaf tips, while red oaks are pointed. Oak species can hybridize and vary a lot within species, so get ready for a challenge when distinguishing them. See here.

If you’re looking for some more red oak knowledge, check out this webpage.