Quercus coccinea
Scarlet oak ( Quercus coccinea)
The scarlet oak ( Quercus coccinea ) is a deciduous tree species from the genus of oaks (Quercus ) in the beech family ( Fagaceae ). It is the official tree of the U.S. Federal District District of Columbia.
Description
The scarlet oak is a deciduous tree. You can achieve a growth rate of 20 to 25 meters. The crown is in young trees still tight cone- shaped, more irregular and slightly loose with age. The bark of the trunk is silver- gray and smooth when young; later it is dark gray and finely cracked with many warts.
Young twigs are orange-brown, often more olivaceous more reddish brown on the bottom and on the top. The buds are pointed egg-shaped with dark brown scales. The change-constant leaves the scarlet - oak are variable in shape and size. They are 7-17 cm long, 8-13 cm wide, deeply lobed. The leaf is not hairy and sits on a thin, about 2.5 to 3 cm long stem. Very striking is the scarlet- red in autumn, the early starts usually with one or two individual branches. Some of the leaves on the lower branches often remained until January on the tree.
The scarlet oak is monoecious ( monoecious ). The male flowers are in drooping catkins. The acorns are egg-shaped and about 1 to 2 cm long; they sit in a shallow breitschuppigen cup.
Distribution and location
This species is native to eastern North America. The range extends from Maine in the north to Oklahoma in the west and Alabama in the south. Even in the extreme south of Ontario (Canada) it is native. The scarlet oak was introduced in Europe as an ornamental and park tree.
The scarlet oak grows on dry, sandy and acidic soils.
System
The first description of the species was published in 1770. It dates from the six -volume work The house father of the German botanist Otto Freiherr von Munchausen.
Cultivated forms
- ' Splendens ': This large-leaved form has about 18 × 13 cm large glossy leaves; the petioles are 4-6 cm in length and longer than in the type. The shape has an even richer, brighter color in autumn as the type.
Similar Species
Likelihood of confusion especially with the red oak (Q. rubra), the pin oak (Q. palustris ) and the dyer's oak (Q. velutina ).