Pedunculate Oak
The Pedunculate Oak or English Oak is native to most of
Europe, and to
Asia Minor to the
Caucasus, and also to parts of North
Africa.
It is the type species of the genus , and a member of the white oak section
Quercus section
Quercus. The populations in Italy, southeast Europe, and Asia Minor and the Caucasus are sometimes treated as separate species,
Q. brutia Tenore,
Q. pedunculiflora K. Koch and
Q. haas Kotschy respectively.
It is a large
deciduous tree 2535 m tall , with lobed and nearly sessile leaves 714 cm long.
Encyclopedia
The
Pedunculate Oak or
English Oak is native to most of
Europe, and to
Asia Minor to the
Caucasus, and also to parts of North
Africa.
It is the type species of the genus , and a member of the white oak section
Quercus section
Quercus. The populations in Italy, southeast Europe, and Asia Minor and the Caucasus are sometimes treated as separate species,
Q. brutia Tenore,
Q. pedunculiflora K. Koch and
Q. haas Kotschy respectively.
It is a large
deciduous tree 25–35 m tall , with lobed and nearly sessile leaves 7–14 cm long. Flowering takes place in mid spring, and their fruit, called
acorns, ripen by autumn of the same year. The acorns are 2–2.5 cm long, pedunculate with one to four acorns on each peduncle.
It is a long-lived tree, with a large widespreading head of rugged branches. While it may naturally live to an age of a few centuries, many of the oldest trees are pollarded or
coppiced, both pruning techniques that extend the tree's potential lifespan, if not its health. A specimen of notable longevity is one in Stelmuže,
Lithuania which is believed to be approximately 1,500 years old, possibly making it the oldest oak in Europe; another specimen, called the Kongeegen , estimated to be about 1,200 years old, grows in Jaegerspris,
Denmark. Of maiden specimens, one of the oldest is the great oak of Ivenack,
Germany. Tree-ring research of this tree and other oaks nearby gives an estimated age of 700 to 800 years old.
A close relative is the
Sessile Oak , which shares much of its range. Pedunculate Oak is distinguished from this species by its leaves having only a very short stalk 3–8 mm long, and by its pendunculate acorns. The two often
hybridise in the wild, the hybrid being known as
Quercus × rosacea.
Within its native range it is valued for its importance to
insects and other wildlife. Numerous insects live on the leaves, buds, and in the acorns. The acorns form a valuable food resource for several small mammals and some birds, notably
Eurasian Jays
Garrulus glandarius.
It is planted for
forestry, and produces a long-lasting and durable heartwood, much in demand for interior and furniture work.
Cultivars and hybrids
A number of
cultivars are grown in
arboreta and in
parks and
gardens. The most common cultivar is
Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', and is the exception among
Q. robur cultivars which are generally smaller than the standard tree, growing to between 10-15 m and exhibit unusual leaf or crown shape characteristics.
- Quercus robur 'Fastigiata' , probably the most common cultivated form, it grows to a large imposing tree with a narrow columnar habit. The fastigiate oak was originally propagated from an upright tree that was found in central Europe.
- Quercus robur 'Concordia' , a small very slow-growing tree, eventually reaching 10 m, with bright golden-yellow leaves throughout spring and summer. It was originally raised in Van Geert's nursery at Ghent in 1843.
- Quercus robur 'Pendula' , a small to medium sized tree with pendulous branches, reaching up to 15 m.
- Quercus robur 'Purpurea' is another cultivar growing to 10 m, but with purple coloured leaves.
Along with the naturally occurring
Q. × rosacea, several
hybrids with other white oak species have also been produced in cultivation, including Turner's Oak
Q. × turnerii, Heritage Oak
Q. × macdanielli, and Two Worlds Oak
Q. × bimundorum, the latter two developed by nurseries in the
United States.
- Q. × bimundorum
- Q. × macdanielli
- Q. × rosacea Bechst.
...
, a hybrid of the Sessile Oak and English Oak. It is usually of intermediate character between its parents, however it does occasionally exhibit more pronounced characteristics of one or the other parent.
...
, a semi-evergreen tree of small to medium size with a rounded crown; it was originally raised at Mr. Turner's nursery, Essex, UK, in 1783. An early specimen is at the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; see .
References
- Bean, W. J. . Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., revised. John Murray.
- Rushforth, K. . Trees of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins ISBN 0002200139.
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