Species guide
Northern red oak
HarmlessQuercus rubra
How to recognise it
A large tree with leaves of 7–11 pointed, bristle-tipped lobes that turn deep red in fall, smooth gray bark with shiny stripes when young, and rounded acorns in shallow caps.
Is it dangerous?
Harmless to people. Large quantities of raw acorns can upset dogs and livestock.
Commonly confused with
- White oak — rounded (not pointed) leaf lobes, no bristle tips
Recorded 227,545 times in the wild worldwide.
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