Quercus velutina is an American species whose shape resembles Q. rubra. It is a large tree with a good upright trunk up to around 30 m tall. The bark is dark grey, remaining smooth for a long time but eventually develops shallow grooves. The inner bark is strikingly orange-yellow. A yellow pigment used to be extracted from it. The young twigs are olive green to brown with soft hairs. Older twigs are reddish brown. The leaf buds, especially the end buds, measure about 1 cm and have hairy bud scales. The leaves are pinnately cleft and the lobes are roughly serrated with pointed tips. The top of the leaf is glossy dark green and the underside is light green and covered with light brown stellate hairs. The autumn colour is orange to reddish brown. The leaf is strikingly rigid which causes it to make a ‘tinny’ sound in the wind. It is this that give the tree its Dutch name, meaning tin oak.
twigs olive green to brown, later reddish brown, bark very dark grey
Leaf
elongated-oval to obovate, pinnately cleft, glossy dark green, 15 - 25 cm
Autumn colour
orange, red
Flowers
golden coloured ♂ catkins, May
Fruits
ovoid acorn, 1 - 2 cm, single or in pairs, cupule with thin contiguous scales
Spines/thorns
None
Toxicity
usually not toxic to people, (large) pets and livestock
Soil type
dry, limy
Soil moisture
suitable for dry soil
Paving
tolerates no paving
Winter hardiness zone
5a (-28,8 to -26,1 °C)
Wind resistance
good
Other resistances
resistant to frost (WH 1 - 6), can withstand wind, resistant to de-icing salt
Application
industrial areas
Shape
clearstem tree, multi-stem treem
Origin
Eastern USA
Clear stem treeMulti-stem treecalcareous soilclay soilloamy soilsandy soiltolerates no pavingresistant to de-icing saltresistant to frost (WH 1 - 6)suitable for dry soilcan withstand windbroad ovoid1st size , taller than 12 metreshalf-open crowngreenyellowaverage growingAttractive autumn colournon-toxic (usually)
Frequently asked questions
Quercus velutina
Quercus velutina can eventually reach a height of 20 - 30 m, depending on the site and climate conditions.
Quercus velutina is average growing and can eventually reach a height of 20 - 30 m, depending on the site and climate conditions.
The leaves of Quercus velutina turn orange, red in autumn.
The right time to plant Quercus velutina is during the dormancy period. In Western Europe, Quercus velutina with root balls can generally be planted from mid-November to late April, although this depends strongly on the climatic conditions and the species of tree.