Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1334 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
QUERCUS SHUMARDII Buckley SHUMARD’S OAK
(FAGACEAE, BEECH OR OAK FAMILY)
Other Common Names: SHUMARD’S RED OAK, RED OAK, SWAMP RED OAK, SPOTTED OAK
Form and Size: medium to tall tree to 35 m; trunk tall, straight, to 1.6 m in diameter; crown broad, open and rounded.
Leaves: deciduous, simple, alternate, the blades 10–20 cm long, 6–15 cm wide, dark green, shiny and glabrous above, the
lower surface pale green, with tufts of hairs in junctions of the main veins, turning red to orange-red or yellow to brown
in autumn, basally usually obtuse to truncate, apically acute, marginally with 5–9 lobes and numerous bristle tips, the
terminal lobe not much larger than the laterals, the lobes oblong or expanded distally; petioles 2–6 cm long.
Buds: 4–6(–8) mm long (terminal), gray to grayish-brown, ovoid or broadly ellipsoid, glabrous.
Flowers: unisexual, male and female flowers occurring separately on the same tree (plants monoecious), individually tiny
and inconspicuous; male flowers numerous in slender dangling catkins, 8–18 cm long; female flowers solitary, paired,
or few-clustered, in leaf axils.
Fruits: acorns, solitary or in pairs, maturing in 2 seasons; cup covering 1/4–1/3 of nut; nut ovoid to oblong, 14–30 mm
long, 10–20 mm wide.
Bark: gray-brown to dark brown, smooth at first, developing shallow furrows with small, tight, interlacing ridges.
Wood: hard, heavy, strong, and straight-grained, the heartwood red-tinged to light-brown, the sapwood paler and thin;
superior to that of many other red oak species.
Habitat: moist but often well-drained soils, stream bottoms, terraces, moist forests, drainage ways, and poorly drained
uplands; the species is tolerant of high pH.
Range: Pineywoods west throughout East Texas and west to the Cross Timbers and Prairies; widespread in the southeastern
U.S. west to KS and TX and also north in the Mississippi River Valley.
Principal Uses: furniture, flooring, veneer, interior finishes, cabinets, general construction, pallets, railroad ties, and firewood;
often not distinguished from other red oaks.
Historical Uses: likely similar to present uses.
Other Significant Information: this is an important ornamental and shade tree, often developing beautiful red foliage in
autumn. Quercus shumardii and the similar Q. buckleyi (occurring mainly from the Eastern Cross Timbers westward)
hybridize along a narrow zone of overlap from the Cooke and Grayson County area near the Red River south to the
vicinity of San Antonio (Bexar Co.). To the west of this hybrid zone “pure” individuals of Q. buckleyi can be found,
while to the east “pure” Q. shumardii occurs. In the hybrid zone, specific determination is often not possible. Quercus
shummardii is here treated as including var. schneckii (Britt.) Sarg., which differs in having more deeply rounded cups
covering ca. 1/3 of the nut (vs. shallow cups covering ca. 1/4 of the cup). Quercus shumardii also hybridizes with a
number of other related species including Q. falcata (SOUTHERN RED OAK), Q. laurifolia (LAUREL OAK), Q. marilandica
(BLACKJACK OAK), Q. nigra (WATER OAK), Q. phellos (WILLOW OAK), and Q. velutina (BLACK OAK). Numerous Texas oaks, including
Q. shumardii, are being killed by oak wilt, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum (Bretz) J. Hunt. Live
oaks and members of the red oak group (inculding Q. shummardii) are most susceptible. In the most susceptible red
oaks, death can occur in a matter of weeks after initial symptoms are noted. Transmission seems to occur by root grafts
and in some cases by insects (beetles). Appel and Billings (1995) gave detailed information on this disease. SHUMARD’S
OAK exhibits “mast fruiting,” a type of cyclical fruiting with years of heavy fruit production occurring irregularly (see
also Q. stellata). The acorns are nevertheless an important wildlife food.
Recognition in the Field: leaves simple, alternate, deeply lobed, the terminal lobe not much larger than laterals, with the
main lobes divided into several lobes, with main veins exserted as bristle tips; fruit an acorn with cup covering 1/3 of
nut or less; terminal buds 4–6(–8) mm long, glabrous.