Quercus roburL. Pedunculate Oak

Quercus roburL. - Pedunculate Oak

Scientific Description:

Deciduous tree to c. 25 m, wide-spreading at top; young shoots glabrous or pubescent, light brown to reddish-brown; buds to 4 mm, glabrous, ciliate margined or tomentose, reddish-brown. Leaves usually crowded at apex of shoots, obovate, to c. 20 × 9 cm, sessile and auriculate or stalked, with 5−8 entire, irregularly rounded, deep lobes, occasionally with secondary lobes; primary veins 5−9, intercalary veins also present; indumentum of dendroid-stellate hairs, ± dense beneath or occasionally sparse, greyish or yellowish-green, glabrous above or with some stellate hairs, rarely glabrous on both surfaces. Peduncle (2−)4−12 cm. Cupule hemispherical, rarely cyathiform, 15−20 mm diam., greyish-brown; scales concentric, concrescent except for triangular reddish apices, flat or convex; acorn 1/2−2/3 exserted.

Fruiting time: August−September.

Habitat: Scattered in deciduous forest, flood plains, steppe, often nr streams, 100-1000 m.

Reference:

Hedge IC & Yaltırık F (1982). Quercus robur L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 7: 662–663.

Public Description:

Quercus robur, known as “pedunculate oak”, is native to most of Europe to the Caucasus, and also in Anatolia. The pedunculate oak is cultivated extensively in temperate regions and has escaped into the wild in China and North America. It is a deciduous tree which grow up to 25 meter in length. Until the mid-19th century, thousands of oaks were cut each year until iron became the most suitable material to build ships. Since its lumber is a very durable material, it is now used in the production of furniture, barrels, coatings, pulleys and parquet. It is a valuable source of food for insects, birds and mammals. A large number of insects live on their leaves, buds, and acorns, and oak acorns are eaten by some birds and small mammals. Oak galls, which are created by different oak insects, are used in leather tanning and in dyeing. Also, insect galls have been used to make black ink.

References:

Anonymous 1 (2015). http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/quercus-robur-english-oak, Accessed date: 29.11.2015.

Anonymous 2 (2015). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_robur, Accessed date: 29.11.2015.

Güner A (2012). Quercus L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 506–511.