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The Pedunculate Oak is called the Common Oak in Britain, and is also often called the English Oak in other English speaking countries. The botanical name is Quercus robur L. It 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 (the species by which the oak genus Quercus is defined), and a member of the white oak section Quercus subgenus Quercus section Quercus.
The populations in Italy, southeast Europe, and Asia Minor & 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 to 25-35m tall (exceptionally to 40m), with lobed and sessile (stalk-less) leaves. Flowering takes place in early to mid spring, and their fruit, called "acorns", ripen by autumn of the same year. The acorns are pedunculate (having a peduncle or acorn-stalk) and may occur singly, or several acorns may occur on a stalk.
It forms 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 close relative is the Sessile oak (Quercus petraea), which shares much of its range. Pedunculate Oak is distinguished from this species by its leaves having no stalk, and being borne directly on the stem, and by its pendunculate acorns.
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 Jays Garrulus glandarius.
It is planted for forestry, and produces a long-lasting and durable heartwood, much in demand for interior and furniture work.
A number of cultivated forms are grown in arboreta and in parks and gardens. The most common cultivated form probably is the cultivar Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', with a narrow and columnar head. This is propagated from an upright tree that was found in central Europe. Some hybrids with other species may also be found, including Q. x turnerii (Q. ilex x Q. robur), and Q. x rosacea (Q. petraea x Q. robur).
| Pedunculate Oak |
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| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| Division: |
Magnoliophyta |
| Class: |
Magnoliopsida |
| Order: |
Fagales |
| Family: |
Fagaceae |
| Genus: |
Quercus |
| Species: |
robur | |
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