Quercus falcata, also called southern red oak, spanish oak, bottomland red oak or three-lobed red oak is an oak (part of the genus Quercus). Native to the southeastern United States, it gets its name the "Spanish Oak" as these are the areas of early Spanish colonies, whilst "southern red oak" comes from both its range and leaf color during late summer and fall. The southern red oak is a deciduous angiosperm, so has leaves that die after each growing period and come back in the next period of growth. Description Quercus falcata is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree tall, with a few forest grown specimens on highly productive sites reaching , with a trunk up to in diameter, the crown with a broad, round-topped head. The leaves are long and wide, with 3 to 5 sharply pointed, often curved, bristle-tipped lobes, the central lobe long and narrow; the small number of long, narrow lobes is diagnostic, readily distinguishing southern red oak from other red oaks. The base of the leaf is distinctly rounded into an inverted bell shape and often lopsided. They are dark green and shiny above, and rusty and hairy below, particularly along the midrib and veins. The seed is a short acorn long, bright orange-brown, enclosed for one-third to half of its length in a flat cup. The acorn matures at the end of its second season. The bark is dark brownish gray with narrow, shallow ridges. Famous specimens Queen Anne's County Oak is a southern red oak on record as the largest southern red oak in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. The oak was located on Romancoke Road. It fell on July 23, 2017 due to a tornado. The tree was at least 200 years old, stood tall, and had a spread. Taxonomy The southern red oak is a member of the beech family (Fagaceae) and 1 of the 207 oak species in the U.S, and is in the section of the Quercus genus Lobatae, the red oaks. Quercus falcata has the following synonyms: Quercus aurea, Q. digitate, Q. elongate, Q. hudsoniana, Q. hypophlaeos, Q. nobilis and Q. triloba. Q. falcata was described in 1801 by Andre Michaux. Several southern red oak hybrids have been described including Quercus × caesariensis (Q. falcata × Quercus ilicifolia) and Quercus × beaumontiana (Q. falcata × Quercus laurifolia). Etymology Quercus, is Latin for "oak" and followed by the specific epithet,