Shumard oak

Sun

Full sun; young trees tolerate light shade, but develop a better crown in an open position.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Established trees tolerate moderate drought and occasional brief flooding, but not permanently waterlogged soil.

Soil

Deep, moist, well-drained soil is ideal, including loam and clay. Tolerates a wider pH range than pin oak, though strongly alkaline soil can cause yellow leaves.

Height

40-60 ft (12-18 m), occasionally 80 ft (24 m) or more

Spread

40-60 ft (12-18 m)

Flowers

Spring: inconspicuous yellow-green male catkins and tiny female flowers as the leaves emerge.

Foliage

Glossy, dark green leaves with 5-9 pointed, bristle-tipped lobes and deep sinuses; usually red, russet or bronze in autumn.

Growth

Moderate to fast with adequate moisture and room for roots.

Care needed

Low

• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   9 ft (2.8 m)

3. After 2 years

   12 ft (3.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   15 ft (4.4 m)

5. After 5 years

   20 ft (6.1 m)

About 16 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant where the mature crown and roots have ample room, well away from buildings and overhead wires.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two or three growing seasons; avoid keeping the root ball constantly wet.
• Spread mulch 2-3 in (5-8 cm) deep over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Keep the root flare visible at soil level and protect the trunk from mower and strimmer damage.
• Do not feed routinely; investigate poor growth or yellow foliage before adding fertilizer.
• Stake only if the tree is unstable, and remove supports after it becomes firmly rooted.

Pruning. Prune young trees during winter dormancy to develop one main leader and well-spaced branches; use a qualified arborist for large limbs. Where oak wilt occurs, follow local pruning restrictions and avoid warm-season pruning or trunk injury.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable, or wait until spring in regions with severe winters.

Winter

Inspect branch structure and carry out necessary formative pruning during dormancy, following local oak-wilt guidance.

Spring

Check planting depth, refresh mulch and remove unnecessary stakes.

Late spring

Check new foliage for yellowing between green veins; test soil pH if symptoms persist.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry weather and keep equipment away from the trunk.

Late autumn

Use healthy fallen leaves as mulch or leaf mould; clear acorns from paths where they create a slipping hazard.

• Use as a long-lived shade tree in a large lawn, leaving space for its broad mature crown.
• Plant in spacious parkland groups for a substantial canopy and seasonal colour.
• Place at the sunny edge of a woodland garden, with shade-tolerant planting beneath the developing canopy.
• Combine with native grasses and perennials beyond the trunk's mulched zone to create a wildlife-rich landscape.

Garden styles it suits: Traditional, Grand estate, Woodland, Wildlife garden, Autumn colour and Southern.

Plant it with: Eastern redbud, Flowering dogwood, American beautyberry, Oakleaf hydrangea, Christmas fern and Pennsylvania sedge.

Wildlife: Acorns feed squirrels, deer, wild turkeys and other birds and mammals. The foliage supports many moth and butterfly caterpillars, and mature trees provide nesting and shelter.

• Oak wilt can kill trees in affected parts of North America: avoid pruning during locally restricted periods, prevent wounds and seek prompt professional diagnosis of sudden wilting.
• Iron chlorosis causes yellow leaves with green veins on alkaline soil: test the soil and seek site-specific treatment rather than applying general fertilizer.
• Bacterial leaf scorch causes recurring brown leaf margins and gradual decline: confirm the diagnosis, reduce drought stress and consult an arborist; there is no reliable cure.
• Compacted soil, buried root flares and prolonged waterlogging cause poor growth or root decline: keep traffic off the root zone, correct planting depth where feasible and improve site drainage.

Acorns, buds and leaves contain tannins and can poison dogs, cats, horses and people if enough is eaten. Young leaves and large quantities of acorns are particularly concerning; horses can develop severe intestinal and kidney damage. Keep animals from grazing fallen acorns or oak foliage, and do not eat raw acorns.

• Pin oak (Quercus palustris)

  Pin oak typically has distinctly downward-pointing lower branches and smaller acorns. Shumard oak generally has more spreading or ascending main branches and larger acorns.

• Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

  Northern red oak usually has shallower leaf sinuses and broader lobes; Shumard oak leaves are generally more deeply cut.

• Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)

  Scarlet oak has a deeper acorn cup enclosing roughly one-third to one-half of the nut, often with rings around the nut's tip. Shumard oak has a shallow, saucer-like cup covering roughly one-quarter of the nut.

The name honours Benjamin Franklin Shumard, a nineteenth-century American physician and geologist.

Propagation. Grow from fresh, sound acorns collected in autumn. Sow outdoors in protected containers or cold-stratify in moist medium in the refrigerator before spring sowing; protect from rodents and plant seedlings out while young, before their roots become crowded.

Accepted botanical name

Quercus shumardii

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and Mississippi.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 7.6. Average height 2615 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.