Quercus shumardii is one of several closely related species from Texas that can be confused with each other. The other species are Quercus texana Buckley; Quercus buckleyi Nixon & Dorr; Quercus gravesii Sudw.; and Quercus graciliformis C.H.Mull.[].

Common Name: Shumard Oak

General Information

Quercus shumardii is a deciduous tree with an open, narrow, rounded canopy when young, becoming, wide-spreading with age; it can eventually reach 35 - 45 metres tall. The bole can be up to 200cm in diameter, it becomes buttressed with age[, ].
A valuable timber tree in N. America, where it is harvested from the wild on a commercial basis. It is sometimes grown as a street tree[].
Quercus shumardii occurs widely throughout central and southeastern North America. There are no reports of major population decline across its wide distribution. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content.
Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[].

Botanical References

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Range

South-eastern N. America - Kansas to New York, south to northeast Texas and northern Florida

Habitat

Borders of streams and swamps in rich moist soils[]. Moist, well-drained soils of bottoms, stream banks and mesic slopes, growing on dry uplands and ridges within oak-hickory forests in the southwest of its range; at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Quercus shumardii is a very cold-hardy tree, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant. It grows best in areas with hot summers. In areas with cooler summers, such as the maritime regions of the temperate zone, it often grows poorly, failing to properly ripen its wood and suffering frost damage over the winter[, ].
Requires a sunny position[, ], though young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[]. Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[, ]. Often found on clay soils in the wild[], it can also tolerate poor drainage and highly alkaline conditions[]. Chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves while the veins remain green) often occurs when soils are not properly acidic[]. The plant is only weakly tolerant of seasonal inundation of the soil[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[].
A long-lived tree, sometimes reaching almost 500 years old[]. A moderately fast-growing tree in the wild, it commences bearing seeds when about 25 years old with optimal production about the age of 50 years[]. Seed production is cyclic, a year of high yields being followed by 1 - 3 years of low yields[]. The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed taking two summers to ripen[].
Trees generally resprout from the base if top-killed by fire, though the older the tree the less likely it is to resprout[].
This species is typically widely spaced and does not form pure stands in the wild[].
Plants in the wild are very susceptible to the disease 'oak wilt'[].
Closely related to Quercus rubra and Quercus coccinea[].
Seedlings soon develop a taproot and become intolerant of root disturbance, they should be planted into their permanent positions whilst young[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[]. The ovoid to oblong, occasionally subglobose seed can be 14 - 30mm long and 10 - 20mm wide[]. A bitter flavour unless the tannins are leached out[].
The seed is usually cooked before eating, though it can also be eaten raw. It can be eaten whole, though it is more commonly dried, then ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread.
In some species, especially many of those classified as 'white oaks', the seeds are low in tannins and have a more or less sweet and agreeable flavour. The seed of most species, however, have a very bitter flavour, due especially to the presence of tannins. In these species there are various processes that can remove or at least reduce the amount of these bitter substances (although other water-soluble substances, including some minerals, will also be removed).
Tannins are water-soluble and therefore the easiest way to remove or reduce tannin levels is by soaking in water. A few different methods are listed:-
A traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter and allow the wet soil to gradually leach the tannins. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency and bitterness.
Another method was to wrap the seeds in a cloth bag and place them in a stream for several weeks.
Drying the seed and grinding it to a powder before soaking speeds up the process. The fastest method is to use hot water, by cooking the powder and changing the water several times until the cooking water is no longer bitter. Alternatively, you can use cold water (which is reported to produce the best quality flour). In this case, you soak the powdered seed in cold water for 12 - 24 hours then discard the water. Repeat this process for a number of times until the soak water is no longer bitter.

The roasted seed has been used as a coffee substitute[].

Medicinal

Quercus (oak) species are used in the traditional medicine of many cultures, being valued especially for their tannins. Various parts of the plant can be used, most frequently it is the leaves, bark, seeds, seed cups or the galls that are produced as a result of insect damage. A decoction or infusion is astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, styptic and haemostatic. It is taken internally to treat conditions such as acute diarrhea, dysentery and haemorrhages. Externally, it is used as a mouthwash to treat toothache or gum problems and is applied topically as a wash on cuts, burns, various skin problems, haemorrhoids and oral, genital and anal mucosa inflammation[]. Extracts of the plant can be added to ointments and used for the healing of cuts[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

Shumard oak had one of the highest survival rates of nine oak species planted on minespoils in Illinois. It exhibited outstanding growth on cast overburden in Illinois and Indiana. In Mississippi, reforestation of agricultural lands to bottomland hardwoods was successful with direct-seeded Shumard oak (in addition to other species)[].

Other Uses

The leaves of most species in this genus are more or less rich in tannins. A mulch of the partially decayed leaves can be placed around vulnerable plants in order to repel slugs, snails, grubs etc, and these will in time break down to add humus and nutrients to the soil. Fresh leaves should be used with caution, however, since as these decay they utilize some of the nitrogen in the soil and thus can inhibit plant growth[, ].

Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff and is also used by many cultures to make ink[, ].
The bark of oak trees is also usually rich in tannins and can be used as a dyestuff and for waterproofing rope[, ].

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, close grained[, , ]. It weighs 57lb per cubic foot[]. A very valuable timber, considered to be superior to any other red oak, it is used for lumber, flooring, furniture, veneers, cabinet making etc[, , ].
The wood of many Oak species is a favoured fuel - burning well and giving off a lot of heat[].

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.