The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and usually knotty. It is light brown, with thin, darker-colored sapwood. It is sold and has the same uses as red oak, although it is generally not so good in quality.
The scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea Muench., has deeply lobed leaves which turn brilliant scarlet in the autumn. The winter buds are reddish-brown and pubescent. The acorns are ovoid, enclosed for about half their length in a thick, deep cup. It is rarely found in the southern half of the State.
SPANISH OAK Quercus falcata Michx.
THIS oak, one of the common southern red oaks, ranges from Virginia and Florida to Texas and Missouri, and appears in a dozen of the southern counties in Illinois. It is usually called the Spanish oak, or southern red oak, and has been known as Quercus rubra L. or Quercus digitata Sudw.
SPANISH OAK
Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, one-half natural size.
It is a variable species and hence has been known under so many names. It grows to a height of 70 to 80 feet, and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet, though larger trees are not infrequently found. Its large spreading branches form a broad, round, open top.