Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1328 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
QUERCUS FALCATA Michx. SOUTHERN RED OAK
(FAGACEAE, BEECH OR OAK FAMILY)
Other Common Names: SPANISH OAK, THREE-LOBE RED OAK
Form and Size: medium to tall tree to 30 m; trunk straight, to 1.5 m in diameter; crown high and rounded in forests, much
broader and open in clear areas.
Leaves: deciduous, simple, alternate, the blades 12–23(–30) cm long, 6–12 cm wide, dark shiny green above, gray-green and
short hairy below, quite variable in shape, with 3–7 deep lobes to nearly entire with 3 broad apical lobes, though usually
with long, turning brown in slender, falcate (= sickle-shaped), pointed lobes and deep, rounded sinuses, the terminal
lobe usually elongated, the lobes with several bristle tips, basally rounded or U-shaped.
Buds: 4–8 mm long (terminal), light reddish brown, ovoid, puberulent.
Flowers: unisexual, male and female flowers occurring separately on the same tree (plants monoecious); individually tiny
and inconspicuous; male flowers on drooping catkins 7.5–12.5 cm long; female flowers occurring singly or in pairs(–rarely
many) on a short stalk.
Fruits: acorns solitary or in pairs, maturing in two seasons; cup covering 1/3–1/2 nut; nut nearly spherical, 9–16 mm long,
8–15 mm wide, sometimes with fine longitudinal lines or ridges.
Bark: dark brown to almost black, broadly ridged and fissured on old trunks, smoother and lighter on younger growth.
Wood: sapwood whitish to grayish or pale reddish brown; heartwood pinkish to light reddish brown, the flesh-colored
cast generally pronounced, occasionally light brown; wood hard, strong, generally straight- and coarse-grained;
growth rings very distinct.
Habitat: dry upland to mesic lower slopes and terraces to bottomland forests.
Range: Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah, west in Red River drainage to Fannin County, also northern Gulf Prairies and
Marshes; mainly southeastern U.S. from coastal NY s to FL w to OK and TX.
Principal Uses: mostly for general construction, boxes, crates, pallets, furniture, flooring, and firewood.
Historical Uses: the wood is not as high quality as that of a number of other oak species. It cracks and checks when not
treated properly and rots in contact with soil; consequently it was not extensively used when other higher quality
woods were readily available; telegraph poles, crates, boxes.
Other Significant Information: Quercus falcata is extremely variable, particularly in leaf blade shape, with the same tree
often possessing several different forms. SOUTHERN RED OAK is by far the dominant oak in the Pineywoods region of
East Texas. It is frequently used as a lawn or street tree. As with other oaks, seed dispersal is accomplished by squirrels
which hoard and bury the acorns. Though many acorns are actually eaten and destroyed, some are forgotten until
spring when they germinate. By having been buried, these acorns have avoided destruction by other seed predators or
damage by the adverse climatic conditions of winter. While Quercus pagoda Raf. is sometimes recognized as a variety
of Q. falcata (as var. pagodifolia Elliott), that species is here considered a distinct species. Like many oaks, Quercus
falcata hybridizes with other species, including Q. marilandica (BLACKJACK OAK), Q. nigra (WATER OAK), Q. pagoda
(CHERRYBARK OAK), Q. phellos (WILLOW OAK), Q. shumardii (SHUMARD’S OAK), and Q. velutina (BLACK OAK).
Recognition in the Field: leaves simple, alternate, basally rounded or U-shaped, usually deeply lobed, the terminal lobe usually
greatly elongated and much more prominent than the laterals, but sometimes with only 3 shallow apical lobes, the
lobes with several bristle tips; fruit an acorn with cup covering 1/3–1/2 of nut.