Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Southern red oak is a fairly large tree which may grow from 70 to 80 feet tall and reach a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It generally has spreading branches forming a broad, open, well-rounded crown. |
| Leaves: | The 5 to 9 inch long leaves are simple, alternately arranged and tardily deciduous, with leaves persisting into the winter months. While various leaf types may be present, most are deeply lobed, with 3 to 5 bristle-tipped lobes per leaf. The middle terminal lobe is upright, while the outer lobes are frequently long, narrow, and sickle-shaped. Leaves are dark, lustrous green and smooth on the upper surface, with rusty pubescence on the undersides. The leaf bases form an inverted- bell shape. Leaf petioles are flattened, slender, and 1 to 2 inches long. |
| Twigs: | The twigs are stout and orange-pubescent at first, becoming glabrous and dark red in the second season. The pith is star-shaped and homogeneous. |
| Bark: | The bark is thick, dark, brownish-black and deeply furrowed, with small, rough scales. |
| Flowers: | The flowers are unisexual, monoecious, and are solitary or in few-flowered spikes on stout, hairy stalks. |
| Fruit: | The fruit is a nearly globular-shaped acorn, about ½ inch long with a slightly hairy, saucer-shaped cup. The acorns may grow solitary or in pairs. |
| Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List: There are three other trees on our list that have simple, alternate, pinnately-lobed leaves. |
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