Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- Quercus rubra
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- More than 40 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun, Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- mar, apr, may
- Bloom Colors:
- Yellow, Green, Brown
Native Range
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★☆☆☆☆
Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
acorn moth (Blastobasis glandulella), Acronicta lithospila, Acronicta noctivaga, Acronicta tristis, Afflicted Dagger Moth (Acronicta afflicta), Alcoholic Plagodis (Plagodis alcoolaria), almond bud moth (Acrobasis minimella), American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Ancylis laciniana, Angulose Prominent (Peridea angulosa), Ashen Pinion (Lithophane antennata), Atlantic arches (Lacanobia atlantica), Automeris randa, Automeris zephyria, Bethune's Pinion (Lithophane bethunei), black-patched graylet moth (Hyperstrotia secta), Blastobasis sp., broken-banded leafroller (Choristoneura fractivittana), Bruce spanworm (Operophtera bruceata), Bucculatrix quinquenotella, Bucculatrix trifasciella, Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia), Cameraria bethunella, Cameraria obstrictella, Cameraria ulmella, Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Cecropis moth (Automeris cecrops), chalybeana leafroller moth (Acleris chalybeana), Chionodes formosella, Chrysopeleia purpuriella, common oak moth (Phoberia atomaris), Confused Morrisonia (Morrisonia confusa), connubial underwing (Catocala connubialis), Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), Cosmia calami, Curve-lined looper (Lambdina fervidaria), cymatophoroides false owlet moth (Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides), Dichomeris ligulella, Dichomeris picrocarpa, Duaria metarranthis moth (Metarranthis duaria), Egira alternans, Egira dolosa, elm spanworm moth (Ennomos subsignaria), Epinotia timidella, fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Filbertworm (Cydia latiferreana), Finlayson's oakworm moth (Anisota finlaysoni), Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), forked dagger moth (Acronicta hasta), Girlfriend Underwing (Catocala amica), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), 🛑Herodias Underwing (Catocala herodias), hesitant dagger moth (Acronicta haesitata), Hethemia pistasciaria, hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), Hydriomena transfigurata, Hyparpax perophoroides, Ilia Underwing (Catocala ilia), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), Io moth (Automeris io), Laugher (Charadra deridens), Lineella Underwing (Catocala lineella), Little Carpenterworm Moth (Prionoxystus macmurtrei), Luna moth (Actias luna), Maple spanworm (Ennomos magnaria), maple trumpet skeletonizer (Catastega aceriella), maple-basswood leafroller (Sparganothis pettitana), medium dagger moth (Acronicta modica), Melissopus latiferreanus, Morrisonia latex, Mournful Thorn (Lambdina fiscellaria), Nacophora quernaria, Nameless Pinion (Lithophane innominata), Neurobathra strigifinitella, oak leaf blotch miner (Cameraria hamadryadella), oak leaf skeletonizer (Bucculatrix ainsliella), oak leafroller (Acleris semipurpurana), oak leafroller moth (Argyrotaenia quercifoliana), oak leafroller moth (Archips fervidana), oak leaftier moth (Psilocorsis quercicella), Oblique Heterocampa (Heterocampa obliqua), Oneida sp., orange besma (Besma endropiaria), Orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria), Orthosia revicta, Oslar's eacles (Eacles oslari), Oslar's oakworm moth (Anisota oslari), Phyllonorycter basistrigella, Phyllonorycter minutella, Phyllonorycter rileyella, Pink-striped oakworm moth (Anisota virginiensis), Pococera expandens, Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), Pseudexentera cressoniana, red oak clearwing borer (Paranthrene simulans), Red-bordered Emerald (Nemoria lixaria), red-humped oakworm moth (Symmerista canicosta), Red-lined Panopoda (Panopoda rufimargo), reflexella leafroller moth (Psilocorsis reflexella), Rose Tortrix (Archips rosana), Ruby Quaker (Orthosia rubescens), southern oak looper (Lambdina pultaria), Sparganothis fruitworm moth (Sparganothis umbrana), spotted oakworm moth (Anisota stigma), Spring cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), Stigmella latifasciella, Stigmella quercipulchella, Symmerista leucitys, Three-spotted sallow (Eupsilia tristigmata), Tischeria citrinipennella, tricolor buckmoth (Hemileuca tricolor), Ulolonche culea, Wanton Pinion (Lithophane petulca), Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa), White-blotched Heterocampa (Heterocampa umbrata), White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbosa), white-fringed emerald (Nemoria mimosaria), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), Winter moth (Operophtera brumata), woodland leafroller (Pandemis lamprosana), Xylena thoracica, Yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra), Yellowstriped oakworm moth (Anisota peigleri), Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), hickory hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum), Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis), Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 4.5 - 6.5 (acidic to slightly acidic)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- prefers deep soils with good fertility
Germination Information
Pre-treatment: Seeds are cold stratified for 90 days and germinate at 34 C or acorns are sown outdoors in fall, soon after collection and cleaning to allow natural stratification to occur. Alternatively, acorns are sown in January with a mechanical seeder.
Establishment: Seeds are collected from the Parks in September and October or purchased from local people who collect within a 50 mile radius of the nursery. Seeds are wild collected during fall months and are kept separated according to site, elevation and source. The Northern red oak is found within temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America, Nova Scotia, west to southern Ontario, south to eastern Oklahoma, east to the Carolinas and throughout the eastern and central United States to Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Minnesota south to Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Source: npn.rngr.net
