Fandex Family Field Guides: Trees

Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra/Quercus borealis The ancient Lation word quercus, probably of Celtic origin, means "beautiful tree"; rubra means "red"; borealis means "northern." In Red Oaks as opposed to White, the lobes of the leaves are pointed and the acors mature in the second year. Squirrels and other animals eschew these acorns because of their bitter taste and so, ironically, there are always multitudes left over to germinate and sprout ever more Northern Oak saplings that will in turn have many more bitter-tasting acorns. And the tree reproduces not only from acorns but also by stump sprouts. This is a good urban street tree. It is resistant to salt, which is used so much on winter sidewalks, and it grows more rapidly than any other oak. Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata) has leaves with a rusty or hairy underside and half-inch rounded acorns. California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) has a short trunk and rounded crown, and its one-inch acorns are ellipsoidal, with the cup covering one-third of the acorn. Excerpted from Fandex Family Field Guides: Trees. Copyright. Reprinted with permission by Workman Publishing.Steven Aronson is the author of 'Fandex Family Field Guides: Trees', published 1998 under ISBN 9780761112044 and ISBN 0761112049.