Side by side
Red oak or Turkey oak? How to tell them apart
Quercus rubra · Quercus cerris
How to tell them apart – red oak: much larger leaf with bristle-tipped lobes, and bark that stays smooth for a long time; Turkey oak: oak with a narrow, irregularly lobed leaf, hair-like threads around the buds and a ‘shaggy’ cup round the acorn.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Carlomorino assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain · source
Turkey oak Quercus cerris
How do you recognise them?
- Red oak
- Large oak leaf with pointed lobes ending in bristle tips; red autumn colour.
- Compared with Turkey oak: much larger leaf with bristle-tipped lobes, and bark that stays smooth for a long time.
- Turkey oak
- Oak with a narrow, irregularly lobed leaf, hair-like threads around the buds and a ‘shaggy’ cup round the acorn.
| Red oak | Turkey oak | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 12–22 cm, with 7–11 pointed lobes ending in fine bristle tips. Autumn colour red to red-brown. | Alternate, 6–12 cm, oblong with 4–8 pairs of pointed, irregular lobes; upper side somewhat rough, underside greyish-hairy. Long, thread-like stipules surround the buds. |
| Flowering | May | May |
| Fruit | Short, stout acorns in a shallow, flat cup; they only ripen in their second year. | Acorns in a cup covered with long, curly, moss-like scales; they ripen only in their second year. |
| Bark | Smooth and grey for a long time, later with shallow, broad ridges. | Dark grey and deeply furrowed into long plates; orange-brown in the furrows. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 20–30 m | Broadleaf tree, 25–35 m |
| Site | Full sun, acid soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | No, naturalised | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July–August and November–February | July–August and November–February |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Red oak (20–30 m) and Turkey oak (25–35 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Red oak
- Plant profile: Turkey oak
- Red oak: when and how to prune
- Turkey oak: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.