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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Scarlet oak

Quercus coccinea

Whole tree — Quercus coccinea. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.
Whole tree — Quercus coccinea. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.☀ Full sunCephas ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

Deep rounded sinuses

Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
50–80
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
45–60
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Deep rounded sinuses

Identification clue 2

Bristle-tipped lobes

Identification clue 3

Acorns often show rings near the tip

Diseases & insects in WNC

Problems to recognize in WNC gardens. These are documented susceptibilities, not a local outbreak report or a diagnosis. Weather, elevation and growing conditions change the risk.

Diseases & similar-looking injury

Anthracnose, leaf spots and powdery mildew may affect foliage. Cankers and root decay deserve attention when branches decline.

Insects to recognize

Oakworms, leafminers, scale and gall-making insects may occur. Many oak insects also feed birds; galls or a few eaten leaves rarely justify treatment.

When to look

Check unfolding leaves in a wet spring and caterpillar activity through summer.

A useful first step

Compare the amount of damage with overall tree vigor. Repeated heavy defoliation, rapid wilt or structural decay calls for Extension or an arborist.

More growing details

Read the leaves

Deep C-shaped gaps separate sharply pointed lobes. Use several sun leaves because shape varies within a crown.

Read the bark

Mature bark develops dark ridges and furrows; bark alone rarely separates red oaks.

Fruit & seed

Examine mature acorns for concentric rings near the tip and a relatively deep cup.

Winter character

Clustered end buds support oak identification; species needs bud and acorn comparison.

Origin & place

The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.

WNC Notes

Strong fall color on acidic, dry, well-drained upland sites.

Sun Exposure

Full sun

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

50–80

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

45–60

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

Catkins

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Scarlet

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Moderate

Drought Tolerance

Moderate

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Whole tree — Quercus coccinea. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.
Whole tree — Quercus coccinea. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.☀ Full sunCephas ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Species reference; does not confirm the named variety. Photograph subject: Fall color
Species reference; does not confirm the named variety. Photograph subject: Fall color☀ Full sunKatja Schulz ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Leaf closeup. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Leaf closeup. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunEl Grafo ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

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