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Quercus robur

Quercus robur

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantea
Order
Fagales
Family
Fagaceae
Genus
Quercus
Species
QUERCUS ROBUR
Synonyms
English oak, pedunculate oak

Habitat / Home / Areal

English oak is widespread in Europe, the Caucasus and Asia Minor.

Botanical description

Habitus: The oak trunk has a diameter of up to 3 meters, while it can grow 40-50 meters in height. The roots are deep, and the root system itself is well developed, the main root develops first, and after it gets stronger, the side vessels develop. Its bark is smooth when young, later cracked and thick. The crown is wide, very branched and irregular, and the branches are strong and thick.

Flower: The flowers are unisexual, yellow-green in colour. They bloom in April and May when the leaves also appear. Male flowers are collected in hanging clusters, while female flowers grow singly or in groups of 5 and are located on a long and thin stalk.

Leaves: The leaves are dark green in color, firm, leathery and incised, grow in asymmetrical lobes, when they first emerge they are hairy, and later they are bare. They are 3-10 cm wide and 8-20 cm long.

Growth conditions / Cultivation / Care

It prefers deep, fertile and moist soils, rich in limestone. The climate in which it thrives best is a moderately warm rainy climate with warm summers, but which are not too dry even though resistant to drought, wind and high temperatures, also urban damage.

Gallery

Use / Function and landscape

  • Solitary planting
  • Planting in groups
  • For tree rows
  • A fruit of an interesting shape for arranging

Special use

Acorns, thanks to proteins and carbohydrates, are known as food with high energy value, therefore they are a favorite food for many animals, but they can also be used in human nutrition. Flour can also be obtained from acorns, and acorn bread is specific to Italian, Norwegian and Swedish cuisine, while in Korean cuisine it is used to make jelly and dumplings.

Reproduction

There are three ways of propagating the oak: grafting, propagation by cuttings and propagation by seeds.

Varieties

Quercus robur Fastigiata

Quercus robur Concordia

Quercus robur Pendula

Quercus robur Purpurea

Quercus robur Pectinata

Diseases and pests

Diseases: oak powdery mildew, Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum), anthracnose

Pests: oak sawfly, oak borer, oak processionary moth