SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus shumardii

COMMON NAME: Shumard oak

LEAVES: 7 to 9 lobes and glabrous with many bristle tips per lobe. Deep sinuses. Good red fall color. Leaf not as long as scarlet oak leaves. Leaf generally nearly as long as it is wide. Dark brown bud that is often pointed.

GROWTH RATE: 2.9 ft./yr. in our shade tree study.

BARK: Grey-brown young twigs that are often angular. Ridge and furrowed bark.

OTHER: Dark brown bud that is pointed is a good identification characteristic. Grows up to 100' tall. Fibrous rooted. Native all over Alabama. Good light to dark red fall color. Can be used to replace Quercus rubra in the south. Fairly drought tolerant. Averaging almost 3' of growth per year in shade tree study. One of the best red oaks. Black algae spots are sometimes a nuisance but not a serious problem. Daniel Swanson, a former student, planted a 16" caliper specimen Shumard oak for the owner of Waffle House. This tree had a 120" diameter rootball. You can only get one tree this size per trailer truck.