Leaf guide › Oaks
Northern red oak
Quercus rubra
The russet-red backbone of late-season color, after the maples have dropped.
- Fall color
- RedBronze
- Turns
- Late
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 5–8 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Seven to eleven lobes, each ending in sharp points with tiny bristle tips.
- Notches between the lobes reach about halfway to the center vein.
- Dull green on top in summer, turning russet red to brown in fall.
- Acorns have a shallow, flat cap.
Where to find it
Look for it on slopes and ridges in mixed hardwood forests, and as a big shade tree in parks and along streets.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Northern red oak is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Arkansas: Mount Magazine (Oct 24), Eureka Springs (Oct 28), Buffalo National River (Oct 30), Petit Jean State Park (Nov 1), Hot Springs (Nov 3)
Connecticut: Litchfield (Oct 18), Hartford (Oct 23)
Illinois: Galena (Oct 16), Chicago (Oct 22)
Iowa: Decorah (Oct 11), Des Moines (Oct 19)
Maine: Camden (Oct 16), Bar Harbor (Oct 16), Portland (Oct 19)
Maryland: Deep Creek Lake (Oct 20), Baltimore (Oct 31)
Massachusetts: Worcester (Oct 19), Natick (Oct 22), Wellesley (Oct 22), Milton (Oct 24), Boston (Oct 24), Hyannis (Oct 28)
Michigan: Detroit (Oct 17)
Minnesota: Minneapolis (Oct 4)
Missouri: Kansas City (Oct 27), St. Louis (Oct 30), Branson (Oct 31)
Nebraska: Omaha (Oct 24)
New Hampshire: Portsmouth (Oct 21)
New Jersey: Delaware Water Gap (Oct 24)
New York: Cooperstown (Oct 12), Hunter (Oct 13), Letchworth State Park (Oct 14), Saratoga Springs (Oct 15), Ithaca (Oct 16), Watkins Glen (Oct 17), Albany (Oct 17), Buffalo (Oct 18), Woodstock (Oct 18), Bear Mountain (Oct 23), New York City (Oct 31)
Ohio: Cleveland (Oct 24)
Pennsylvania: Wellsboro (Oct 16), State College (Oct 21), Jim Thorpe (Oct 24), Philadelphia (Oct 31)
Rhode Island: Providence (Oct 24), Newport (Oct 29)
Washington, D.C.: Washington (Oct 31)
Wisconsin: Sturgeon Bay (Oct 9), Madison (Oct 12), Milwaukee (Oct 17)
Easy to confuse with
Worth knowing
Red oak acorns take two years to mature. It’s the state tree of New Jersey and one of the most important timber trees in the East. Young red oaks often keep their dead leaves into winter.
Common questions
What color does northern red oak turn in fall?
Northern red oak turns russet red to deep reddish brown, with some trees showing a brighter red in a good year, before fading to tan.
When does northern red oak change color?
Late. It’s one of the later trees to color, often after the maples have passed peak, and it gives late-season hillsides their russet tones.
How can you tell northern red oak from white oak?
White oak: Lobes are rounded with no bristle tips. Northern red oak: Seven to eleven lobes, each ending in sharp points with tiny bristle tips.
Where does northern red oak grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, the Great Lakes & North Woods, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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