Also known as the lowland red oak.
Family: Fagaceae [beech], part of the fagoid group [with birches].
Form: large tree with lobed leaves and medium-sized nuts (acorns); makes open canopy with widely spreading limbs.
Range: southeastern USA (+ Ontario), from edge of Great Plains to Atlantic Coast; across Kentucky, but most common in Bluegrass.
Habitat: woods on base-rich soils, fairly dry to fairly moist but not at extremes; most common on limestone slopes and fertile lowlands; regenerating in edges and openings, not persisting under shade.
Consumers: acorns sought by deer, squirrels, weevils; plants sometimes browsed, and may be sensitive; various pests and diseases can damage or kill trees after their initial rapid growth.
Growing notes: acorns mature on tree after second summer, then germinate in spring; seedlings vigorous and easily transplanted.
