In this world, there are many tools one may use to direct magic. One of the most well known of these is the wand. Of course it is a common saying that "The wand chooses the wizard", with all wands having a degree of awareness with which they select...
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Oak is an important and powerful wand wood. Worldwide, there are about 600 species of oak and multiple other species that have oak in their common name. True oaks (genus Quercus, possibly Cyclobalanopsis, depending on who you listen to) are divided into multiple sections, three of which are found in the United States. These are, Quercus, the white oaks, Lobatae, the red oaks, Protobalanus, Emory Oak, Shumard Oak, Canyon Live Oak, and kin. While there is some variance between species within a group, overall, species within the same group are similar.
Red Oaks (Lobatae)
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Quercus rubra, commonly called northern red oak or champion oak, is an oak in the red oak group. It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It grows from the north end of the Great Lakes, east to Nova Scotia, south as far as Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, and west to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. It has been introduced to small areas in Western Europe, where it can frequently be seen cultivated in gardens and parks. It prefers good soil that is slightly acidic. Often simply called red oak, northern red oak is so named to distinguish it from southern red oak, also known as the Spanish oak. It is also the state tree of New Jersey and the provincial tree of Prince Edward Island
Olivander identifies the type species like Northern Red Oak and characterizes it as:
You will often hear the ignorant say that red oak is an infallible sign of its owner's hot temper. In fact, the true match for a red oak wand is possessed of unusually fast reactions, making it a perfect dueling (sic) wand. Less common than English oak, I have found that its ideal master is light of touch, quick-witted and adaptable, often the creator of distinctive, trademark spells, and a good man or woman to have beside one in a fight. Red oak wands are, in my opinion, among the most handsome.
One of the differences between red and white oaks is the open pores in red oaks. These pores make red oaks unsuitable for shipbuilding and are thought to contribute to their tendency to become waterlogged if submerged for too long. The Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra) is native to North America and there are dozens of other species in use, as this section is native to the Americas.
