Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra Large tree Zones 4–9 50–80 ft
Shares dry uplands and sandy barrens in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Scarlet Oak
Quercus coccinea. Large tree, 40 to 80 feet, zones 4 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry or average ground.
We do not grow scarlet oak, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Form | Large tree |
|---|---|
| Height, feet | 40 to 80 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 75 |
| Zones | 4 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value |
| Flowers | April to May |
| Fruit | Acorns, September to November |
| First crop | 20 years (most after 50; good crops every 3 to 5 years) |
| Pollination | Needs a second, unrelated tree. The flowers are wind pollinated, and an acorn crop wants another oak nearby, since oaks seldom set acorns with their own pollen. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 250 years, and the oldest dated one reached 193. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on scarlet oak says: "Difficult to transplant due to a deep taproot." |
| Black walnut | Tolerant, on the Morton Arboretum's list |
| Toxicity | The leaves and acorns are poisonous to people and horses. |
| Ground | Dry uplands, sandy barrens and the Appalachians |
| Native in | 28 states and the District of Columbia |
Scarlet oak is native in 28 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of scarlet oak's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Black Oak
Quercus velutina Large tree Zones 3–9 50–80 ft
Shares dry uplands and sandy barrens in the wild.
Mockernut Hickory
Carya tomentosa Large tree Zones 4–9 60–80 ft
Shares dry uplands and sandy barrens in the wild.
Red Hickory
Carya ovalis Large tree Zones 4–8 60–100 ft
Shares dry uplands and the Appalachians in the wild.
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra Large tree Zones 3–8 50–75 ft
Shares dry uplands and the Appalachians in the wild.
Southern Red Oak
Quercus falcata Large tree Zones 6–9 60–80 ft
Shares dry uplands and sandy barrens in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the US Forest Service and Virginia Tech's dendrology site.