Shumard Oak is a native large deciduous tree in the red oak group in the beech family. It is an attractive tree with a pyramidal shape when young and a more open rounded crown at maturity. The trees can reach 70 feet in height and 40 feet wide. It is tolerant of urban conditions like drought, dry soil, and air pollution. Shumard Oak is relatively fast-growing, adaptable and drought tolerant but also tolerates short-term flooding and wind. The lobed leaves often have nice red fall color. Plant in average soil in full sun as a shade tree in a large yard, street tree or in parks and other public places. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth ( Eacles imperialis ) , as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak ( Satyrium calanus ) , Edward's hairstreak ( Satyrium edwardsii ) , Gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ) , White-m hairstreak ( Parrhasius malbum ) , Horace's duskywing ( Erynnis horatius ) , and Juvenalis duskywing ( Erynnis juvenalis ) .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Open; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are up to 7 inches long, with 2 to 4 pairs of pointed lobes with soft, bristle-like tips. Sinuses reaching from 1/2 to 3/4 the distance to the leaf midrib. Shiny dark green above, pale green below with tufts of hair. Red fall color
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Green
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Insignificant greenish blooms appear in April as separate male and female catkins.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Oblong-ovoid acorns occur singly or paired and are 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long. The cap is shallow, bowl-shaped and scaly covering less than 1/3 of the acorn. Displays from September to October. The tree produces acorns at about 25 years of age. Acorns mature the second year.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
The bark is thick, smooth and grayish, becoming furrowed and darker gray.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
The stems are grayish brown, glabrous with clustered terminal 1/4 inch long buds that are grayish brown, smooth or slightly fuzzy.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada, Southeastern U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , FL , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV Canada: ON
Wildlife value
Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida.
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds