Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun
Height at Maturity: 60-80 Feet
Usage: Shade
Shipped As: Bare-Root
Planting Zones: 6-9
Product Details
Southern red oak seedlings (Quercus falcata) are the native red oak of the Southern Piedmont and Coastal Plain uplands, at home on dry, sandy and clay ridges from Virginia to East Texas. Also known as Spanish oak, it is planted by timber growers, reforestation contractors and wildlife landowners who want a hardwood that excels on ground too dry for bottomland oaks. Tennessee Wholesale Nursery ships bare root southern red oak in 6-12 inch, 12-18 inch and 6-24 inch row-run grades, in bundles of 100, 500 and 1,000.
Southern Red Oak in Brief
- Latin name: Quercus falcata (southern red oak, Spanish oak)
- Group: Red oak group, beech family (Fagaceae)
- Zones: USDA 6 to 9
- Mature height: 60 to 80 feet, with a broad, rounded crown
- Growth: Moderate to fast; often 1 to 2 feet per year on good sites
- Light: Full sun
- Soils: Well-drained sand, sandy loam and upland clay; acidic
- Leaves: Distinctive bell-shaped base with 3 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes, the middle lobe often long and curved, giving the species name falcata ("sickle-shaped")
- Acorns: About 1/2 inch, maturing in the second year
- Stock: 6-12 in, 12-18 in, 6-24 in row run; bundles of 100, 500, 1,000
A Southern Upland Timber Tree
Across the South, southern red oak is one of the most common upland red oaks and a dependable sawtimber species. Its wood is used for lumber, flooring, furniture, pallets and crossties. Landowners converting old fields or cutover pine ground to hardwood, or adding an oak component to pine plantations, choose southern red oak because it thrives on the same dry, sandy sites where loblolly and shortleaf pine grow well.
Dry, Sandy and Eroded Sites
Southern red oak adapts to infertile, sandy and eroded soils and is drought-hardy once its taproot is down. That makes it a strong fit for:
- Old-field and pasture reforestation in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain
- Sandhill and dry ridge plantings
- Reclamation and erosion-prone slopes, alongside erosion control plants
- Wildlife mast plantings on the upland half of hunting properties
Planting Density
| Objective | Spacing | Trees per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Timber / reforestation | 10 x 10 ft | About 435 |
| Hardwood in pine mix | 12 x 12 ft | About 300 |
| Wildlife mast grove | 20 x 20 ft | About 110 |
Southern Species That Pair Well
Interplant southern red oak with loblolly pine seedlings for a mixed pine-hardwood stand, or with white oak and Chickasaw plum for layered wildlife food. For moister bottoms on the same property, consider cherrybark oak, its close bottomland relative.
Answers for Southern Red Oak Buyers
What is the difference between southern red oak and cherrybark oak?
They are close relatives. Southern red oak grows on dry uplands, while cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda) grows on moist, well-drained bottomland.
Is Spanish oak the same as southern red oak?
Yes. Spanish oak is a widely used common name for Quercus falcata.
Does southern red oak grow in sandy soil?
Yes. It thrives on well-drained sandy and sandy-loam soils and on dry upland clay.
What zones is southern red oak hardy in?
USDA zones 6 through 9. Use our zone finder to check a planting site.
When are southern red oak seedlings shipped?
They ship dormant and bare root in November. For mixed-species timber orders, request wholesale pricing.
Tennessee Grown, Family Owned
Tennessee Wholesale Nursery is the wholesale division of TN Nursery, a family nursery Roscoe Tate began in 1959. We farm 170 acres in Altamont, Tennessee, and have grown roughly 2 million pawpaw trees from about 2 tons of seed. Our seedlings are dug dormant, their roots treated with Terra-Sorb hydrogel and bundles sealed to hold moisture up to 12 days. Learn more in our bare root guide; every order is covered by our Arrive Alive guarantee.