tree
Northern red oak
Quercus rubra
Low riskEdible cookedcommon
Pointed bristle-tipped lobes. Acorns are bitter and need longer leaching than white oak.
Leaves with 7–11 pointed lobes tipped by a hairlike bristle. Bark has shiny vertical ski-tracks. Acorns have a flat shallow cap.
- Habitat
- Mixed hardwood slopes.
- Season
- Acorns ripen the second year, fall.
- Size
- 70–90 ft
- Field marks
- Bristle tips; ski-track bark
Use
Firewood, flooring. Acorn meal after thorough leaching. Deer magnet.