Nuttall Oak
Arbor walk #104, TreeKeeper ID #6084
The Nuttall Oak is a deciduous shade tree that is well-suited to urban settings due to its tolerance against wet soils, drought conditions and most disease and pest problems. This is a fast-growing oak tree that is capable of growing in many different kinds of soils. Like most oak trees, it produces small acorns that are oblong in shape. Its leaves are deep green and turn orange to red in late fall. It is native to wet, swampy forests, and is a good street tree, as it forms a narrower canopy rather than a wide one. Although very similar in appearance to the Red Oak, the leaves of the Nuttall Oak are more deeply lobed.
| Name | Nuttall Oak |
|---|---|
| Latin Name | Quercus nuttallii |
| Type | Native |
| Diameter | 5 1/2″ caliper |
| Color of Leaf | Upper surface dull green, smooth; lower surface paler with tufts of hairs in the vein axils; leaf stalk rather slender, smooth, ¾–2 inches long.Fall color comes late, but often includes quality shades of red |
| Shape of Leaf | Leaves are alternate, simple, 3–6 inches long, widest above the middle; usually with 7 narrow, long-pointed lobes with 1–5 bristle-tipped teeth; notches between lobes rounded and wide. |
| Color of Flower | Yellow – green |
| Shape of Flower | Male flower hang in clusters of catkins, female flowers are inconspicuous tiny spikes in the leaf axis |
| Fruit Characteristics | Acorns solitary or paired, dark brown, usually striped the length of the nut, 1 inch long, oblong; cup covering one-third to five-eighths of the nut, thin, hairy, sloping or stalked at the base, scales small and flattened. Acorns ripen in autumn of the second year. |
| Bark | Gray-brown, smooth; becoming blackish, shallow-grooved and with flat, scaly ridges with age. |
| Foliage Type | Deciduous |
Take a Look Around
More about Tree #104:
Data on the space around this tree
More about the Nuttall Oak in general:
Relationship of Quercus nuttallii to other species in the Arboretum