Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Atlantic coastal pine barrens

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Blue Mountains forests

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Chilean Matorral

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Low water

Spacing

480"

Habit

Large open high-branched deciduous red-oak with a pyramidal-to-rounded crown

Care tips

•

Match the site to the species: scarlet oak wants a well-drained, dry, sandy, acidic upland. On wet, heavy clay or alkaline ground, plant a different oak rather than fighting the soil.

•

Plant small, young container or balled-and-burlapped stock. The deep taproot makes large transplants notoriously difficult to establish, so start small and be patient.

•

Expect slow early growth and water deeply through the first 2-3 dry seasons while the taproot develops.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in spring on a well-drained, dry to medium, sandy, acidic upland site in full sun to part shade per NC State Extension. Scarlet oak resents wet, heavy clay or alkaline ground; on those sites choose another oak rather than fighting the soil. Match the site to the species rather than amending heavily.

Transplanting

Notoriously difficult to transplant because of its deep taproot. Plant small, young container or balled-and-burlapped stock and expect slow establishment; large transplants struggle. Move in early spring before bud break and disturb the root system as little as possible.

Early growth

Establishment is slow as the deep taproot develops. Water deeply through dry spells for the first 2-3 seasons and mulch generously without piling against the trunk. Protect young saplings from deer browse while they get going.

Maturity

Mature trees reach 50-80 feet tall with an open, high-branched, pyramidal-to-rounded crown per NC State Extension. Deep-scarlet fall color is the signature trait; small striped acorns mature on a 2-year cycle and feed birds and mammals.

Propagation

Grown from acorns, which need about 30-60 days of cold stratification before spring germination. Sow in fall in protected ground or stratify in damp medium over winter for spring sowing; named selections are propagated vegetatively.

Pollination

Wind-pollinated

Monoecious and wind-pollinated: drooping yellowish-green male catkins and small female flowers occur on the same tree, and no insect pollinators are required for fertilization. As a red-oak-group species, scarlet oak hybridizes freely with relatives such as Quercus velutina, Quercus rubra, and Quercus ellipsoidalis.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Oak canopy is a primary larval host for the polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), one of many giant silkmoths and other Lepidoptera that scarlet oak supports as a keystone eastern hardwood.

Larval host

Moth

Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis)

Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on oak foliage through summer; oaks are among the foundational larval hosts of the eastern hardwood Lepidoptera community.

Larval host

Moth

Luna moth (Actias luna)

Larval host

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Seed forage

Mammal

Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Scarlet oak acorns are gathered and cached by eastern gray squirrels and other small mammals; the 2-year acorn cycle drives mast years that feed the wider food web.

Seed forage

Mammal

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Seed forage

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species) (multiple species (Passeriformes))

Acorns are eaten by blue jays, woodpeckers, wild turkey, and other birds; oak mast is a foundational autumn and winter food across the eastern hardwood forest.

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

For people

Toxic — do not consume

Scarlet oak is grown as an ornamental and shade tree, not for food. Its acorns and foliage carry tannins that are toxic to livestock in quantity, so the species is treated as inedible. Site mature trees away from grazing animals where heavy acorn drop could be a problem.

Climate notes

•

NC State Extension lists Quercus coccinea for USDA hardiness zones 4a-9b; it is native to dry, sandy, acidic uplands of the eastern United States and prized for brilliant deep-scarlet fall color.

•

A dry-site specialist: once established it tolerates drought and poor, dry, sandy soils well, and handles summer heat across its southern range. It is not a tree for wet ground.

•

It resents wet, heavy clay or alkaline soils and develops iron chlorosis (yellowing between leaf veins) on high-pH ground; site it on a well-drained acidic site or choose another oak.

•

Honest siting caveat: the deep taproot makes scarlet oak notoriously difficult to transplant, so plant small young stock and expect slow establishment rather than instant landscape impact.

In the designer

Growth over time

510-816" tall · 459-612" spread

Approaching a mature 50-80 foot canopy with reliable deep-scarlet fall color and acorn mast for wildlife.

Design roles: Focal point · Structure

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Scarlet oak

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations