Quercus rubra

Quercus rubra (old name Q. borealis), common name red oak, tree native to North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It grows to 28m, exceptionally to 43m tall, with a trunk of up to 1m diameter. Open-grown trees do not get as tall, but can develop a stouter trunk, up to 2m in diameter. It has stout branches growing at right angles to the stem, forming a narrow round-topped head. It grows rapidly and is tolerant of many soils and varied situations, although it prefers well-drained borders of streams. Bark is dark reddish gray brown, with broad, thin, rounded ridges and scaly,becoming dark brown on old trees. On young trees and large stems it is smooth and light gray. Branchlets, at first bright green, shining, then dark red, finally dark brown. Buds are dark chestnut brown, ovate, acute, generally 6 mm long. the leaves are alternate, seven to nine-lobed, oblong-ovate to oblong, 15 to 20cm long, 10 to 15cm broad; tapering gradually from broad bases, the second pair of lobes from apex are largest; midrib and primary veins conspicuous. Lobes are often less deeply cut than most other oaks of the red oak group. Leaves emerge from the bud convolute, pink, covered with soft silky down above, coated with thick white tomentum below. When full grown are dark green and smooth, sometimes shining above, yellow green, smooth or hairy on the axils of the veins below. In autumn they turn a rich red, sometimes brown. Often the petiole and midvein are a rich red color in midsummer and early autumn, though this is not true of all red oaks. The acorns are solitary or in pairs, sessile or stalked; nut oblong-ovoid with broad flat base, full, with acute apex, 1 to 3cm long, first green, maturing nut-brown, the cup is saucer-shaped and shallow, 2 cm wide, usually covering only the base of the nut, thick, shallow, reddish brown, somewhat downy within, covered with thin imbricated reddish brown scales. Its kernel is white and very bitter.

133.00 Location B4/C4 Latitude; -38.401801370000  Longitude; 146.052315850000 This tree is an original Moss nursery specimen.

133.01 Location C9 Latitude; -38.402297790190  Longitude; 146.055117274026 This tree was planted in 1973/4

133.02 Location B4 Latitude; -38.401490290000  Longitude; 146.052143980000.

133.03 Location D8 Latitude; -38.402658813483  Longitude;146.054311199894. This tree has been cabled to stop splitting.