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Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) has slender twigs with several terminal buds (photo on left) clusted at the end of the stem. The largest of these buds is 1/4-3/8 " long. The terminal buds are not sharp-edged but rounded. They are colored brownish-red and often have leaf scars are nearly circular on the lower side with a small flat on the upper side. In cross section the stems have a characteristic star-shaped pattern (right photo). This is found in all members of the oak family. This tree has opposite simple leaves that are notched and sharp-edged. The bark of northern red oak hard and deep furrowed. Young bark on the upper limbs is often streaked with gray. CLICK on any image to enlarge it.