Introductory
SPECIES: Quercus rubra | Northern Red Oak 



ABBREVIATION : 
QUERUB

SYNONYMS : 
   Quercus borealis Michx. f.
   Querucs borealis Michx. f. var. maxima (Marsh.) Sarg.
   Quercus maxima (Marsh.) Ashe


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   QURU


COMMON NAMES : 
   northern red oak
   red oak
   common red oak
   gray oak
   eastern red oak
   mountain red oak


TAXONOMY : 
Northern red oak is a member of the red oak-black oak subgenus
(Erythrobalanus) within the order Fagales [11].  The currently accepted
scientific name of northern red oak is Quercus rubra L. [69].  The
epithet Q. rubra was formerly applied to several species of oak
including the southern red oak (Q. falcata) [13,69].  Some later
taxonomists rejected the appellation Q. rubra because of past ambiguity
and in 1915 identified northern red oak as Q. borealis [69,101].  In
1950, the name Q. rubra was restored [101].  Most current authorities
prefer the epithet Q. rubra, although Q. borealis is still occasionally
encountered in the literature.  The following varieties are commonly
recognized [54]:

            Quercus rubra var. borealis (Michx. f.) Farw.
            Quercus rubra var. rubra

Northern red oak hybridizes with many oaks including scarlet oak (Q.
coccinea), shingle oak (Q. imbricata), swamp oak (Q. palustris), willow
oak (Q. phellos), scrub oak (Q. ilicifolia), northern pin oak (Q.
ellipsoidalis), black oak (Q. velutina), blackjack oak (Q. marilandica)
and Shumard oak (Q. shumardii) [69,93,101].  The following hybrid
products have been identified:

      Q. X runcinata (A. DC.) Engelm.     (Q. imbricata x Q. rubra)
      Q. X heterophylla (Michx. f.)       (Q. phellos x Q. rubra)
      Q. X hawkinsiae Sudw.               (Q. rubra x Q. velutina)
      Q. X riparia Laughlin               (Q. shumardii x Q. rubra)
      Q. X columnaris Laughlin            (Q. palustris x Q. rubra)
      Q. X fernaldii                      (Q. ilicifolia x Q. rubra)


LIFE FORM : 
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
D. Tirmenstein, June, 1991.


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Tirmenstein, D. A. 1991. Quercus rubra. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Quercus rubra | Northern Red Oak