Red oak
Introduced, rarely naturalised · Up to 32 m

Red oak

Quercus rubra · Fagaceae

Red oak is a broad-crowned tree, planted in parks for its autumn colour. Its large, matt leaves have pointed lobes, and each tooth ends in a fine bristle.

Often mistaken for English oak. How to tell them apart →
Know it byLeavesOften 20 cm long, with 7 to 11 pointed lobes.AcornsSquat and broad at the base, about 2 cm long.Twigs5 to 7 mm, a reddish tuft at the tip, on slender straight shoots.

Then check · BarkSilvery grey and smooth for years. Older trunks either stay smooth with domed warts, or grow grey ridges with orange in the cracks.

How to identify a red oak

Red oak: leavesJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0
Leaves

Big, often 20 cm long, with 7 to 11 pointed lobes, each with two or more teeth ending in fine bristles.

Red oak: twigs
Twigs

Sharp chestnut buds 5 to 7 mm long, with a tuft of reddish hairs at the tip, on slender straight shoots.

Learn the red oak in TreelyEvery part through the year, and a short round each day until you know it.Get Treely

Every part, in photographs

Red oak leaves: big and matt, each tooth ending in a bristleJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0
LeavesBig and matt, each tooth ending in a bristle
Red oak acorns: squat acorn in a shallow saucer cupMaksymilian Bobko, CC BY 4.0
AcornsSquat acorn in a shallow saucer cup
Red oak bark: silvery grey and smooth, some later ridged
BarkSilvery grey and smooth, some later ridged
Red oak twigs and buds: sharp chestnut buds, hairs only at the tip
Twigs and budsSharp chestnut buds, hairs only at the tip
Red oak shape: broad rounded crown on strong straight limbs
ShapeBroad rounded crown on strong straight limbs

When to look

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In leaf
Catkins
Acorns

In leaf: April to November · Catkins: April to May · Acorns: June to October

Every tree on the calendar · How to identify trees in winter

Where you’ll find it

In parks and gardens, along forestry tracks and in a few plantations, and now and then in a wood. It needs full light and plenty of room, and on acid, sandy soils it outgrows the native oaks.

What it’s mistaken for

Red oak: ends of the lobesEnglish oak: ends of the lobesRed oak or English oak?Both are big oaks with lobed leaves, often in the same park.Ends of the lobes Red oak: acorn and its cupSessile oak: acorn and its cupRed oak or sessile oak?Both have acorns that sit against the twig, on a very short stalk or none at all.Acorn and its cup
  • Turkey oakBoth are big oaks planted in parks, with lobed leaves. Twig. Red oak: sharp chestnut, a reddish tuft at the tip. Turkey oak: each bud in long twisting whiskers.

More oaks, beeches and sweet chestnut

Common beechFagus sylvaticaCopper beechFagus sylvatica f. purpureaEnglish oakQuercus roburHolm oakQuercus ilexSessile oakQuercus petraeaSweet chestnutCastanea sativaTurkey oakQuercus cerris
In the app

There’s more of the red oak in Treely

  • Every part, through the yearLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed in every season
  • Its lookalikes, side by sideThe checks that settle it, part by part
  • A short round each dayUntil you know the red oak on sight, from any side
  • Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely tells you which tree
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Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), Maksymilian Bobko (CC BY 4.0), dugald (CC0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.