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What kind of Red Oak is this? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter JDV
- Start date
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
The pics aren't detailed enough to tell - a detailed pic of the underside of a fresh leaf would be the most helpful, if you can get one.
What I can see doesn't look too much like Pin Oak though, the leaves a bit irregular in shape with the lobes pointing forward too much.
What I can see doesn't look too much like Pin Oak though, the leaves a bit irregular in shape with the lobes pointing forward too much.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Thanks! The tufts of brown hairs in the vein axils are a good Pin Oak feature, but the lobing doesn't fit well; I suspect it may be a hybrid with Southern Red Oak Quercus falcata, as the leaf shape is about half-way toward that. The only problem with this is that (despite the general promiscuity of red oaks) this hybrid combination doesn't appear to be recorded! I'll ask around a bit among a couple of oak experts I know over the next day or two.
JDV
Well-known member
Thanks for the info. I guess thats why I had such difficulty, pardon the pun, "pinning" it down as a Pin Oak. It had all the characteristics, but I wasnt fully satisfied with IDing it as such. Plus its height was a bit more than the average Pin Oak. I measured it about 5-8 years ago and it was 99' at the time. So Im guessing its around 105'-115' now, which is a bit taller than your average Pin Oak. Does the bark in the one pic not help in IDing it? After looking further prior to posting here, I too though Southern Red Oak. But I could never nail it down because of the leaves being so ambiguous. Half of it fell down during a recent storm and I had to clean it up. Some of the bigger branches had at least 50-75 rings on them. Im curious as to what the main trunk will reveal. Im guessing between 125-190 yrs old. But I could be wrong.
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Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
That does suggest a hybrid!
I'd doubt the tree is much older than the age of the broken trunk; if the ring count was done from a section cut near the base (just above the break), the tree itself will only be 10-15 years or so older. Unfortunately, forked trunks like this are very prone to breaking - there's a high likelihood that the other half will come down fairly soon now (within the next few years).
I'd doubt the tree is much older than the age of the broken trunk; if the ring count was done from a section cut near the base (just above the break), the tree itself will only be 10-15 years or so older. Unfortunately, forked trunks like this are very prone to breaking - there's a high likelihood that the other half will come down fairly soon now (within the next few years).
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
JDV
Well-known member
IJust saw your response. I will gather up so more pictures for your Oak expert and hopefully he/she can make a better guess. Ive always been the type to not settle for just the generic name for anything in nature. Probably the number one reason Ive been a bird watcher since I was very young. Thanks again for your help.
