The leaves are smooth or only lightly hairy along the veins. The middle lobes are largest. Acorns are large and rounded in a shallow cup. Red Oak, with its close-grained, reddish-brown wood, is regarded as the most important timber tree of the Black Oaks. It is also a shade tree.
Northern Red Oak is a widespread, common Oak of open woods. It is one of the largest Oaks, occassionally 125 ft. high. Its dark bark has conspicuous long, smooth plates between the furrows. The leaves tend to hang vertically on the stalks, and the lobes tend to be more triangular than in other species.
