59. Shumard Red Oak

(Quercus Shumardii)

Shumard Red Oaks stand like six guards facing Red Square in front of Gerberding Hall. Named for Benjamin Franklin Shumard (1820-1869), State geologist of Texas in 1860, this species is a southern U.S. dweller of wetlands, remarkable for its exceeding energy of growth, and retention of the leaves very late into fall. Unlike regular red oak, its acorns and leaves are modest sized, but ultimately it grows just as large. The bark is rougher, and the undersides of the leaves have conspicuous scattered tufts of tawny hairs.

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Campus Public Art Program
University of Washington
Box 353440
Seattle, WA 98195
Published Online: July 1997