Washington DC is not a state, but a federal district as specified by Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution
Scarlet Oak
(Fagaceae Quercus
coccinea)
The Scarlet Oak is the
Washington, DC tree. Scarlet
oak, Fagaceae Quercus
coccinea, also called
black oak, red oak, or
Spanish oak, is best known
for its brilliant autumn
color. It is a large
rapid-growing tree of the
Eastern United States found
on a variety of soils in
mixed forests, especially
light sandy and gravelly
upland ridges and slopes.
Best development is in the
Ohio River Basin.
In commerce, the lumber
is mixed with that of other
red oaks. Scarlet oak is a
popular shade tree and has
been widely planted in the
United States and Europe.
This oak tree has leaves
which to the untrained eye
may resemble the pin oaks,
but it is very difficult to
get these trees confused.
For one thing, the scarlet
oak has larger, round
acorns, with deep cups that
cover one third to one half
of the nut. For another, the
leaves of this oak often
have red stems, and the
points flare more than do
the pin oaks. However, the
best way to tell them apart
in nature is to look at
where they are growing.
The pin oak is found in
floodplains and swamps. The
Scarlet Oak will avoid these
locations, and instead grow
in dry, sandy, or rocky
areas, such as the sandstone
ridges of the Appalachians,
the glacier scoured hills of
southern New England, or the
sands of the coastal plain.
Description:
- Common Names:
Black oak, Red oak,
Spanish oak, Spotted
oak.
- Leaf:
Alternate, simple, 3 to
7 inches long, oval in
shape with very deep
sinuses and
bristle-tipped lobes.
Leaves are waxy/shiny
above. Leaves are
generally hairless but
may have tufts below in
vein axils.
- Flower:
Staminate flowers borne
on catkins. Pistillate
flowers borne on spikes.
Appear with the leaves
in April or May.
- Fruit: Acorns
are 1/2 to 1 inch long,
with a scaled cap
covering 1/2 of the nut.
Cap scales look
varnished. The tip of
the acorn may have
concentric rings.
Maturing in two years,
ripening in the fall.
- Twig:
Slender, red-brown in
color with multiple
terminal buds. Buds are
pointed, slightly
angled, and covered with
a light colored
pubescence on the top
half.
- Bark: On
young trees, gray-brown,
with smooth streaks.
Later developing
irregular ridges and
furrows. Much later
turning darker and scaly
(resembling black oak).
- Form: A
medium-sized tree with
generally poor form,
irregular crown, and
many dead branches. A
butt-swell is often
noticeable, and often is
useful in
identification.
Taxonomic
Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae --
Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta –
Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta –
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida –
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Hamamelidae – |
Order |
Fagales – |
Family |
Fagaceae
– Beech family |
Genus |
Quercus
L. – oak |
Species |
Quercus
coccinea
Muenchh. –
scarlet oak |
Source:
Dendrology at
Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
|