Oak growing area. English oak
Quercus robur
Taxon: Beech family ( Fagaceae)
Other names: English oak, summer oak, English oak
English: Oak, English oak, Truffle Oak, Pedunculate Oak
Botanical description
A large, beautiful, powerful deciduous tree, reaching 40-50 m in height and 2 m in diameter, sometimes 1000 years old or more. During the warm season, oak evaporates more than 100 tons of water, 225 times its own weight. There are about 20 species of oak in our country. The most common of them is pedunculate oak. The root is powerful, widely branched; crown - well developed, spreading. The bark of young shoots is smooth, slightly pubescent, olive-brown, while that of old shoots is gray-brown, with cracks. The leaves are oblong, obovate, narrowed downward, pinnately lobed, alternate, simple, short-petiolate, glabrous, dark green, shiny with prominent veins. In spring, the oak blooms late, one of the last among deciduous trees.
There are two known forms of common oak - early and late. Early oak leaves bloom in April and fall off for the winter, while late oak leaves bloom two to three weeks later and remain on young plants for the winter.
Oak blossoms in April - May, when it still has very small leaves. The flowers are unisexual, monoecious, very small and inconspicuous. Male or staminate flowers are collected in peculiar inflorescences - long and thin yellowish-greenish hanging earrings, reminiscent of hazel earrings. These earrings hang in whole bunches from the branches and are almost identical in color to young small leaves. The female or pistillate flowers of oak are sessile, very tiny - no larger than the head of a pin. Each of them looks like a barely noticeable greenish grain with a crimson-red tip. These flowers are located singly or in groups of 2-3 at the ends of special thin stems. Acorns grow from the female flowers in the fall. After flowering, first a small cup-shaped wrapper grows - a plus, and then the fruit itself - an acorn. Acorns ripen at the end of September - beginning of October. Acorns do not tolerate drying out; the loss of even a small part of the water leads to their death.
Spreading
Oak grows in the forest and steppe zones of Europe. In ancient times, almost half of the forests in Europe were oak forests, but now oak forests account for about 3% of all forests in Europe. Often dominates in mixed forests. In the Far East, Crimea, and the Caucasus, other types of oak grow (downy oak, sessile oak).
Common oak is widespread in the middle and southern zones of the European part of Russia to the Urals. Oak does not tolerate cold and humid climates, while in the south it develops better.
Common oak forms frequent stands or grows in a mixture with other species throughout almost the entire territory of Ukraine (in the steppe - mainly along river valleys).
Oaks are divided into summer, winter and evergreen. Of the 3 types of oak growing in Ukraine, the most common and important for industry is common oak (pedunculate or summer oak) Quercus robur L.
Collection and preparation of medicinal oak raw materials
Mostly oak bark is used as a medicinal raw material, which is harvested in early spring, without the bark layer and wood. To collect bark, only young trees cut down at logging sites and sanitary fellings can be used. Dry it under shelters in the open air or in well-ventilated areas. In good weather, you can dry it in the sun. Dry bark breaks when bent, while under-dried bark bends. It is necessary to ensure that the bark does not get wet when drying, since this will cause it to lose a significant part of the tannins contained in it. According to the pharmacopoeia, for uncrushed oak bark raw materials, the numerical indicators should be: tannins no less than 8%, moisture no more than 15%, total ash no more than 8%; pieces of bark that have darkened on the inside, no more than 5%, organic impurities no more than 1%, mineral impurities no more than 1%. The shelf life of raw materials is 5 years. Dry bark has no odor, but when infused in water and especially hot water, a characteristic odor characteristic of fresh bark appears. The taste is very astringent.
Biologically active substances of oak
First of all, oak raw materials are considered as a source of tannins. The bark contains 10-20% tannins; they are also included in the chemical composition of leaves and fruits (5-8%). Tannins are a mixture of structurally similar phenolic compounds. From this group, the composition of oak bark tannins includes both a group of condensed and a group of hydrolyzed tannins.
In addition to tannins, oak bark contains organic acids (gallic, eladic), carbohydrates, starch, pentosans (13-14%), flavonoids quarcetin, and protein substances. The bark also contains: trace elements (mg/g): K - 1.40, Ca - 23.00, Mn - 0.60, Fe - 0.20; trace elements (µg/g): Mg - 142.60, Cu - 12.30, Zn - 10.20, Cr - 0.80, Al - 116.08, Ba - 537.12, V - 0.08, Se - 0.04, Ni - 1.84, Sr - 212.00, Pb - 3.04, B - 74.80. Ca, Ba, Se, Sr are concentrated.
The composition of oak fruits - acorns - includes starch, tannins and proteins, sugars, fatty oil (up to 5%). Thanks to this composition, acorns along with chicory are part of a mixture that is used as a coffee substitute and has fairly high nutritional properties.
Oak leaves contain tannins, quercetin, quercitrin, and pentosans in their chemical composition.
The galls formed on oak leaves contain a large amount of tannins.
Use of oak in medicine
Galenic preparations of oak bark have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The tannins of the plant determine the main tanning effect. When oak galenic preparations are applied to a wound or mucous membrane, interaction with proteins is observed, and a protective film is formed that protects tissues from local irritation. This slows down the inflammation process and reduces pain. Tannins denature the protoplasmic proteins of pathogenic microorganisms, which leads to a delay in their development or death.
Today, data have been accumulated on the spectrum of resorptive effects of tannins, including antispasmodic, hypotensive, antiviral and a number of other effects.
The composition of tannins includes a mixture of polyphenols, which, when interacting with oxidative radicals, form semiquinoid radicals and radical ions, in the presence of which the intensity of peroxidation decreases, so the antioxidant activity of tannins can be noted.
Anti-carcinogenic and anti-radiation activity has been established for tannins.
Based on the method of use, oak bark preparations can be divided into two groups: external and internal use.
Externally oak preparations are used for:
diseases of the oral cavity (gingivitis, stomatitis, amphodontosis);
inflammation of the tonsils;
;
bleeding gums;
skin diseases (ulcers, eczema, bedsores);
washing purulent and decaying wounds;
treatment of burns.
Internal oak preparations are used for:
treatment of enteritis, colitis, dysentery, cholera;
complex therapy of stomach diseases;
bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract;
complex therapy of kidney and bladder diseases;
poisoning with alkaloids and salts of heavy metals, as an antidote.
It is worth noting that the data on the toxicological properties of tannins characterize them as practically non-toxic compounds.
Oak bark is included in various collections of medicinal plants and in complex medicines.
Oak bark is included in the preparations:
Dragee "Tonsilgon N", manufactured by Bionorica AG, is used for acute chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis), prevention of complications in respiratory viral infections and as an addition to antibiotic therapy for bacterial infections;
Gel "Vitaproct" used for the treatment of acute and chronic;
The drug "Polygemostat" used in surgical practice as a hemostatic drug.
Use of oak in other industries
Common oak is used as a source of wood and raw materials for the tanning industry, as a phytoncidal, food, melliferous, fodder, ornamental and phytomeliorative plant.
For the tanning industry, oak bark aged 15-20 years is considered the best. Since bark is a good tanning agent, it is used directly as a tanning material, and tanning extracts are produced from the tree.
Oak wood has a beautiful color and texture. It is dense, strong, elastic, preserves well in the air, in the ground and under water, slowly cracks and deforms, pricks easily, and is resistant to rot and household fungus.
Oak wood is used in shipbuilding, the furniture industry, for the production of parquet, mine and hydraulic structures, for the manufacture of rims, runners, plywood, turning and carved products, parts of horse-drawn carriages (gobels, wheels). Particularly valued is “bog oak” - tree trunks that have lain at the bottom of lakes or for many years. Such wood becomes unusually strong and has an almost black color.
Oak wood does not have a special odor; barrels for wine, beer, alcohol, vinegar, and oil are made from it.
Oak wood is an excellent fuel.
Common oak is a spring honey plant. Bees collect a lot of highly nutritious pollen from it, and in some years they collect nectar from female flowers. But honeydew (exudation of plant juices) and honeydew (plant juice processed by insects) often appear on oak trees. In places where oak occupies large areas, bees collect a lot of honeydew and honeydew, from which they produce honey that is unsuitable for winter consumption. To avoid mass death of bees during wintering, such honey is pumped out.
Oak leaves contain the pigment quercetin, which, depending on the concentration, dyes wool and products made from it yellow, green, brown and black.
Oak acorns are a highly nutritious food for wild animals and domestic pigs. However, there are known cases of poisoning of other domestic animals by acorns (especially green ones). Acorn flour is also suitable for human food.
Oak brooms in a Russian bath are not inferior to birch brooms, and even surpass them.
used in landscaping as an ornamental and phytoncidal plant to create suburban groves, alleys, single plantings in parks and forest parks. Decorative forms of the common oak are known - with a pyramidal crown, in which the foliage falls 15 - 20 days later than the usual one.
English oak | |
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Scientific classification | |
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Dicotyledons |
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English oak |
International scientific name | |
Quercus robur L., 1753 |
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Species in taxonomic databases | |
CoL | |
English oak, or ordinary(lat. Quercus robur) - a large tree of the beech family ( Fagaceae).
Description
Botanical illustration from the book by O. V. Tome "Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz", 1885
Twisted oak trunk growing from a side branch
A tree up to 40 m tall, with a trunk that is curved in youth, then when growing in plantations it is straight, well cleared of branches and bears a small crown, and when growing in freedom, it has a low, thick trunk, quickly spreading into thick, serpentinely curved branches. The lower ones deviate from the trunk at a right angle, the upper ones - at a sharp angle and form a powerful ornamental tent-shaped crown. Due to the mosaic pattern of the leaves, the crown is less transparent in the horizontal direction and has large gaps in the vertical planes. Young shoots are knotty. The bark is initially smooth, olive-brown, then red-brown, later silver-gray (“mirror-like”), then cracking from the age of about 30 years and then thick (up to 10 cm), deeply fissured, brown-gray. The trunk is up to 1-1.5 m in diameter. The root system is deep (up to 5 m) and powerful.
Leaves are 7-15 cm long and 3-7 cm wide (on shoots up to 30 cm long and 10 cm wide), elongated-obovate, with clearly defined ears at the base, at the end with a blunt elongated terminal blade and on the sides on each side. with 6-7 (8) long, blunt, unequal and largest in the middle of the leaf, straight or somewhat curved blades, the depressions between which reach ⅓ of the width of the blade. The lobes are entire or with 1-3 large teeth. The leaves are shiny, leathery, dark green, glabrous above, paler below, first pubescent, then glabrous or with individual hairs along the veins. Petioles are short, 5-10 mm long. In autumn, the leaves take on a dark yellow or brownish-yellow color.
The flowers are inconspicuous, unisexual, the plant is monoecious. Male flowers are collected in greenish-yellow long pendulous catkins; female flowers are reddish, have a reduced perianth, collected 1-3 in intermittent spikes on short pedicels.
Fruits are acorns 1.5-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, having a dense leathery shell, with a spine at the top, 1-3 on the fruit stalk up to 6-8 cm in length; mature ones are naked, brownish-yellow with characteristic longitudinal greenish stripes. In the lower part it is surrounded by a tuberculate, with small scales, saucer-shaped or shallow cup-shaped plus 0.5-1 cm in height and 1.5-2 cm in diameter.
Chemical composition
Tannins were found in the bark (up to 29%; with increasing age of trees, their content in the bark decreases), flavonoids (quercetin, etc.), gallic and gramic acids (up to 1.6%), phlobafen, pentosans (14%), pectins , sugars, mucus, protein substances, starch, vitamins B 1, B 2, B 6, PP, ascorbic acid.
Quercetin, quercitrin, tannins and pentosans, up to 0.2% ascorbic acid were found in the leaves.
Top of shoot with leaves | Bark of an adult tree trunk | Part of a shoot with leaves and ripening acorns |
Spreading
The range covers the entire Western Europe to the north to 59-60° N. sh., enters the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula (except for the extreme south) and part of the Balkan Peninsula), except for its southern part.
In Russia, widespread in the European part, the northern border of the range runs slightly south of St. Petersburg, through Tikhvin and slightly south of Vologda to Kirov, south of Perm to the Urals and along its western slope south to Chkalovsk, then to Saratov, Volgograd and further to Novocherkassk. Absent in the dry steppe zone, it reappears in the foothills of the northern Crimea and the North Caucasus.
Common in all natural and administrative regions of the Saratov Right Bank. In the Rtishchevsky district, pedunculate oak is the main species that forms the suburban groves Tretyak and Shmeli. Oak trees 40-60 years old are found in the forest plantations of the Vladykinsky homestead park. The most valuable are relict specimens of pedunculate oak, more than three hundred years old, which still bear fruit. 20 individual trees with a height of more than 25 m and a diameter of up to 150 cm have been preserved.
At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, oak forests grew along the banks of the Iznair River. They were cut down when intensive settlement of the Khopyorye region began.
Features of biology and ecology
In the northern part of its range it grows along river valleys; to the south it reaches watersheds and forms mixed forests with spruce, and even further south there are pure oak forests; in the steppe zone it grows in ravines and ravines.
The leaves bloom in the second half of May, much later than many other tree species. At the same time, the common oak has two ecological races: the so-called winter and summer oaks. The first begins to grow and develops leaves 2-3 weeks later than the second; its dried leaves remain on the tree until spring. The second form avoids early frosts and spring dry winds and therefore blooms and bears fruit more abundantly than the first and produces straighter trunks; the second form assimilates more energetically and grows faster than the first, especially in youth; it has a lower shoot-producing ability, a shorter growing season, stronger wood, and is less damaged by silkworms, lacewings, leaf rollers and powdery mildew. These features of the late-blooming form are inherited.
Leaves fall in late September - mid-October. At the same time, there are forms that shed leaves early and those that shed leaves late, which are delayed by 15-20 days compared to the first. This latter form is especially valuable for green building.
Oak blooms in May, simultaneously with the blossoming of leaves, starting from 40-60 years of age when standing freely, in plantations even later.
When growing freely, it bears fruit annually; seed years in plantations every 4-8 years, the closer to the northern border of the range, the less frequent. Weight of 1000 pieces of acorns - 3 kg; 1 hectare of mature forest produces up to 2 tons of acorns, well-developed free-standing trees - up to 40-100 kg per tree. Acorns ripen at the end of September - beginning of October, and underdeveloped acorns and those damaged by codling moths and weevils fall earlier.
In the natural environment, acorns are destroyed en masse by wild boars, domestic pigs, various rodents, and jays. The latter are the main agents spreading oak acorns.
The oak often lives up to the age of 400-500 years, often up to 1000 and occasionally 1500 years, reaching up to 4 m in diameter.
Economic importance and application
In medicine
Oak bark is mainly used as a medicinal raw material. It is harvested during sap flow (which coincides with bud opening), without a cork layer on the outside and wood on the inside. To collect bark, only young trees cut down at logging sites and sanitary fellings can be used.
The bark of young branches and thin trunks is used as an astringent, for rinsing with gingivitis, stomatitis, inflammatory processes of the pharynx, pharynx, larynx and for the treatment of burns.
In homeopathy - for tumors of the spleen and liver, for alcoholism. In France, a decoction is used for tuberculosis and rickets. In England, ointment is used to treat frostbite. Infusion - for gastritis and enteritis, stomach ulcers, gastric bleeding, colitis, dysentery, cholera. Lotions - for skin diseases, bedsores, enemas and suppositories - for hemorrhoids and anal fissures, douching - for vaginal diseases and polymenorrhea, baths - for hyperhidrosis. Infusions and decoctions - for frostbite. Antidote for poisoning with alkaloids and salts of heavy metals. The decoction has a pronounced deodorizing effect.
In folk medicine (inside) - for gynecological diseases, heavy menstruation, diarrhea, gastric ulcers, dysentery, gastrointestinal diseases, diseases of the liver and spleen, thyroid gland, rickets, cholera, pyelonephritis; externally - for sweating, for washing bleeding hemorrhoids and purulent wounds, rinsing the throat and mouth during inflammation, to eliminate bad breath, to remove calluses; ointment - for burns and frostbite. Oak bark is included in bath mixtures for scrofula and rickets.
Leaves. In Azerbaijan, infusion and decoction are used for diabetes. They have an astringent, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effect. Juice - for diabetes.
Gauls. Lotions from freshly prepared decoction or powder - for gastrointestinal disorders, burns, purulent wounds, lichen, eczema, skin tuberculosis.
Acorns. Acorn coffee and dry powder - for colitis, scrofula. Infusion and decoction - for rickets, anemia, nervous diseases, polymenorrhea, scrofulosis, diabetes. Juice - similar to infusion and decoction.
In other areas
One of the most important forest-forming species in the European part of Russia. A valuable tree for steppe afforestation. It is used for afforestation of mountain slopes and in protective plantings.
One of the most valuable wood species, widely used in construction, carpentry, parquet, furniture and plywood production, in carriage and shipbuilding; widely used for firewood.
In furniture production, the so-called “bog oak”, obtained from oak trunks that have lain under water for a long time, is especially valued. This wood has a dark color (from grayish-brown to black), which is the result of the action of iron salts dissolved in water on the tannins contained in the wood.
The bark, especially the “mirror” bark, which contains 8-20% tannins, is widely used in the tanning industry for tanning leather.
A light-resistant, durable dye for carpets and tapestries was obtained from the bark. An extract from the leaves was used to dye fabric, wool and dried goods yellow, green, greenish-yellow, brown and black.
Galls were used in the past to make black ink, gray and brown dyes, and for tanning sole leather.
In veterinary medicine, powder from the bark of young branches and thin trunks is used for dusting wounds, decoctions and mixtures - as an astringent and antiputrefactive agent for dyspepsia, gastritis and enteritis in farm animals, for bloody urine and poisoning with poisonous plants, in the form of infusions and decoctions - as an anti-inflammatory remedy for burns and frostbite. Acorns - as an astringent and anti-putrefactive agent; orally in the form of powders, porridges and mixtures - for gastritis and enteritis.
Acorns are used to fatten pigs, as well as feed cattle, horses, geese and wild animals. Acorns are collected in October; they are stored in special acorn storage facilities, in pits dug in a dry place, ventilated by fascines and covered with leaves and snow. Store only until the spring following the year of collection.
In beekeeping it is important mainly as a pollen bearer, but in some years, with a favorable combination of meteorological factors, it produces nectar and is then visited in abundance by bees. However, honeydew often appears on oak trees, from which bees produce honeydew honey, which is of low quality and unsuitable for wintering.
Oak wood is used in the production of barrels, especially cognac and wine barrels. Tannides contained in oak wood give drinks a unique taste and aroma. The leaves are used as a spicy and aromatic addition when pickling cucumbers. Acorns are used as a coffee substitute; peeled - to obtain starch and flour.
Oak enjoyed love and honor among many peoples of Europe. The Slavs, ancient Greeks, and Romans considered it sacred, worshiped it, and attributed miraculous properties to it. It was believed that the oak was given by the gods to people as a great gift. Without the permission of the priests it was impossible to cut down an oak tree or break off a branch.
In Greece, an oak branch was a symbol of strength, power, and nobility. Oak branches were awarded to warriors who accomplished great feats. The Greeks believed that the oak appeared on earth earlier than other trees, and dedicated it to the god of light, science and art, Apollo.
The Slavs dedicated the oak to Perun. The Slavs held meetings, trials, and wedding ceremonies under the sacred oak trees.
In 2014, as part of the “Alley of Russia” campaign, the pedunculate oak was chosen as the green symbol of the Saratov region. Residents of the region gave this tree 22,047 votes, that is, 49% of those who voted. The Rostov region, Voronezh region and Moscow also chose it as their symbol.
Literature
- Grisyuk N. M. et al. Wild food, technical and melliferous plants of Ukraine / N. M. Grisyuk, I. L. Grinchak, E. Ya. Elin. - K.: Harvests, 1989. - ISBN 5-337-00334-8. - pp. 51-52
- Trees and shrubs of the USSR. Wild, cultivated and prospects for introduction / Ed. in 6 volumes. T. II. Angiosperms. - M., Leningrad: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1951. - P. 468-474
- Dudchenko L. G. et al. Spicy-aromatic and spicy-flavoring plants: Directory / L. G. Dudchenko, A. S. Kozyakov, V. V. Krivenko. - K.: Naukova Dumka, 1989. - P. 72-73
- Elenevsky A. G., Radygina V. I., Bulany Yu. I. Plants of the Saratov Right Bank (flora summary). - Saratov: Publishing house Sarat. pedin-ta, 2000. - ISBN 5-87077-047-5. - P. 22
- The pedunculate oak has become the green symbol of the Saratov region // Arguments and facts - Saratov. - November 5, 2014
- Specially protected natural areas of the Saratov region: national park, natural micro-reserves, natural monuments, arboretum, botanical garden, specially protected geological objects / Committee for Environmental Protection and Nature Management of the Saratov Region. Scientific ed. V. Z. Makarov. - Saratov: Saratov University Publishing House, 2007. - P. 217-219
- Universal Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants / Comp. I. Putyrsky, V. Prokhorov. - Mn.: Book House; M.: Makhaon, 2000. - pp. 124-126
- Flora of central Russia: Atlas-determinant / Kiseleva K.V., Mayorov S.R., Novikov V.S. Ed. prof. V. S. Novikova. - M.: ZAO “Fiton+”, 2010. - P. 181-182
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Woody plant with a powerful trunk. Also known as pedunculate oak, it is used for food (coffee surrogate), household (construction, tanning and feed raw materials) and medicinal purposes as an astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, hemostatic and wound healing agent.
Ask the experts a question
Flower formula
Formula of common oak flowers: male flowers - *O(4-8)T4-12, female flowers - *O(8)P(3).In medicine
A decoction of the bark of young oak trunks and branches is used in medicine for diseases of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx (gingivitis, stomatitis, chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis) in the form of rinses, and externally for the treatment of burns. It is also effective for diarrhea, dysentery, gastrointestinal bleeding, bad breath, heavy menstruation, bedsores, calluses.
Classification
Common oak (lat. Quercus robur L.) - belongs to the beech family (lat. Fagaceae). The genus Oak (lat. Quercus) unites 350-400 species, mainly distributed in the subtropical and tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe, the most famous oak (Quercus robur L.) is one of the most frost-resistant (up to 30 degrees and below) woody plants. There are two varieties of common oak: Quercus robur var. Praecox Czern. and Q. Robur var. Tardiflora Czern., differing in their phenology.
Botanical description
Common oak is a tree reaching a height of 20–30 m and a trunk thickness of several girths, with a powerful tap root and a deep root system. The bark of young shoots is olive-brown, becoming silver-gray with age, and on old trunks it is brown-gray, deeply furrowed with cracks. The leaves are alternate, short-petiolate, pinnately lobed, obovate in outline (7-15 cm long), with ears at the base. The blade blades are unequal, entire, and usually blunt. The flowers are dioecious: pistillate - 1-3 on elongated peduncles, staminate flowers are collected in sparse pendulous earrings. The plant is monoecious: both male and female inflorescences develop on the same tree. Each flower has an involucre that grows into a plus as the fruit grows. The fruit is an acorn, brownish-yellow in color with longitudinal stripes, surrounded by a plus up to 1/3 of the length. The plus is covered with bristles or bare, shallowly cupped, with a short tip. It blooms simultaneously with the leaves blooming in April-May, starting from 40-60 years of age. Formula of common oak flowers: male flowers - *O(4-8)T4-12, female flowers - *O(8)P(3). Fruits in late September - early October. Light-loving and not very picky about soil composition. In favorable habitats it grows quite quickly and lives up to several hundred years.
Spreading
Oak is one of the longest-living trees in Russia; it can be considered the most important of the broad-leaved trees - it is the most durable and resistant to various adverse environmental factors. The distribution area of the common oak extends north of 60 degrees north latitude and reaches the Urals in the east. In the zone of broad-leaved forests and forest-steppe of the European part of Russia, it is one of the main forest-forming species, forming oak forests (oak groves). In the zone of mixed forests it grows more often along river valleys, to the south it reaches watersheds, and in the steppe zone - along ravines and ravines. It is also found in the Caucasus, Ukraine and Belarus.
Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.
Procurement of raw materials
The bark of young trunks and branches is used as a medicinal raw material in medicine. The bark is collected during the period of sap flow, which approximately coincides with bud break. The leaves and fruits are also used for medicinal purposes.
Chemical composition
Oak bark contains: tannins (10-20%), organic acids (gallic and ellagic), pectins, sugars, flabophen, pentosans, flavone compounds - quercetin. Acorns contain: starch (40%), tannins (5-8%) and protein substances, sugars, fatty oil (5%). The leaves contain quercetin, tannins and pentosans.
Pharmacological properties
The complex of biologically active substances of oak bark has an enveloping, astringent, immunostimulating, antacid, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect. The action is mainly due to the presence of tannins (pyrogallic group), which interact with proteins, forming a protective film that protects tissues from local irritation. Tannins denature the protoplasmic proteins of pathogenic microorganisms, preventing their development.
Use in folk medicine
In folk medicine, a decoction of oak bark is used internally for diarrhea, scurvy, poisoning with mushrooms, heavy metal salts, diseases of the liver, spleen, inflammation of the kidneys, and gastritis. The decoction is used to gargle for sore throats and gums to strengthen teeth, wash festering wounds, and for hair diseases. Powder from dried galls - pathological growths on oak leaves - is used to treat eczema, lichen, and purulent wounds. Fresh crushed leaves are applied to cuts and wounds for rapid healing.
Historical reference
The healing properties of oak have long been known - especially tinctures on oak leaves. In ancient times, people dedicated oak trees to their most powerful gods: the Greeks - to Apollo; Romans - Jupiter; Slavs - Perun. The oldest center of the cult of Zeus was a centuries-old oak tree in Dodona with a spring gushing from under the roots. Here the Dodon sanctuary arose, which in classical times became the richest temple with its own oracle. The oracle interpreted the rustling of oak leaves, and later predicted events by the clinking of vessels that were struck with a flexible oak branch. Neither the ancient Greeks and Romans, nor the ancient Germans and Slavs cut down oaks for fear of angering the thunder gods. Perhaps this is why the mighty representatives of the oak tribe have survived to this day. In pagan times, the Carpathian Slavs were convinced that oak trees had existed since the creation of the world. In Rus', the oak also acted as a guardian: oak trees were used to create abatis - chains of fallen trees spread over hundreds of miles. The abatis became an insurmountable obstacle to the movement of Baty's cavalry, and centuries later - German tank divisions.
Literature
1. State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR. Eleventh edition. Issue 1 (1987), issue 2 (1990).
2. State Register of Medicines. Moscow 2004.
3. Medicinal plants of the state pharmacopoeia. Pharmacognosy. (Ed. I.A. Samylina, V.A. Severtsev). - M., “AMNI”, 1999.
4. Ilyina T.A. Medicinal plants of Russia (Illustrated encyclopedia). - M., "EXMO" 2006.
5. Zamyatina N.G. Medicinal plants. Encyclopedia of Russian nature. M. 1998.
6. Mashkovsky M.D. "Medicines." In 2 volumes - M., Novaya Volna Publishing House LLC, 2000.
7. “Herbal medicine with the basics of clinical pharmacology”, ed. V.G. Kukesa. - M.: Medicine, 1999.
8. P.S. Chikov. “Medicinal plants” M.: Medicine, 2002.
9. Sokolov S.Ya., Zamotaev I.P. Handbook of medicinal plants (herbal medicine). - M.: VITA, 1993.
10. Mannfried Palov. "Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants". Ed. Ph.D. biol. Sciences I.A. Gubanova. Moscow, "Mir", 1998.
11. Turova A.D. "Medicinal plants of the USSR and their use." Moscow. "Medicine". 1974.
12. Lesiovskaya E.E., Pastushenkov L.V. "Pharmacotherapy with the basics of herbal medicine." Tutorial. - M.: GEOTAR-MED, 2003.
13. Medicinal plants: Reference manual. / N.I. Grinkevich, I.A. Balandina, V.A. Ermakova and others; Ed. N.I. Grinkevich - M.: Higher School, 1991. - 398 p.
14. Plants for us. Reference manual / Ed. G.P. Yakovleva, K.F. Blinova. - Publishing house "Educational Book", 1996. - 654 p.
15. Medicinal plant raw materials. Pharmacognosy: Textbook. allowance / Ed. G.P. Yakovlev and K.F. Blinova. - St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2004. - 765 p.
16. Tsitsin N.V. Atlas of medicinal plants of the USSR. M. 1962.
17. Shantser I.A. Plants of central European Russia. Field atlas. M. 2007.
This, perhaps the largest group of potential objects for food in conditions of autonomous survival, includes forest inhabitants. Moreover, not all of them can be found together at the same time and in the same territory. Our forests are very diverse, and their inhabitants each have their own habits and preferences.
Depending on the composition of soils and underlying soil-forming rocks, moisture regime and many other physical and climatic factors and soil and plant conditions, forests of different types are formed on different landscape surfaces. The common oak (also known as pedunculate oak), which forms floodplain oak groves, for example, prefers fatty, organic-rich soils and can withstand long-term spring floods in the lower reaches of large rivers, standing “knee-deep” in spring water for 2-3 weeks. Pine forests, on the contrary, grow on the dry sands of dunes and river terraces with deep groundwater. Scots pine, in contrast to oak, does not tolerate flooding, but can withstand long periods of summer drought. Oak belongs to megatrophs - lovers of “hearty meals”, while pine is a real ascetic (well, what kind of humus organic matter can there be on the sands?). Pine vitally needs light, well-aerated soils for the roots to breathe “full chest”, while oak can “hold its breath” for a long time and in this sense it is not afraid of heavy loams (although it prefers drained soils).
The main forest-forming tree species, by which the types of forest complexes are named, determine a special, specific set (species composition) of the rest of the permanent population of “their” forest. Drawing an analogy with human society, we can say that they are a kind of city-forming enterprises that determine the economic, demographic and professional specifics of the forest ecosystem.
Secondary tree and shrub species accompanying the main forest-forming trees also form their own second-order consortial symbiotic relationships with their specific cohabiting species.
It should be taken into account that, unlike the grassy biomes of steppe-meadow formations, forest communities are multi-tiered. Tree and shrub species, depending on the type of forest, its health and the degree of economic intervention and “improvement” by humans, can form a forest canopy in 1-2-3 tiers (biohorizons), with the most shade-tolerant ones located in the lower tier. And at the very bottom of the “forest ocean”, at the level of the ground grass stand and deeper - under the forest floor and in the soil - layering can also be traced. And each consort species is predominantly confined to a specific, favorite tier. It’s not difficult to understand this: what kind of eccentric would start looking for boletus mushrooms on the tops of pine trees or tinder fungi on a grassy edge? Another question is to know what edible species of mushrooms, plants, and animals are confined to a specific tier. Pheasants and nightingales, for example, nest on the ground, under bushes, the fat larvae of cockchafers and beetles are deep underground, and no less nutritious earthworms rummage through the litter and leaf litter. Etc.
The tiers that interest us are where you can reach with your hand or dig shallowly. By the way, they are precisely filled with the largest reserves of pasture (or “handy”) food.
All components of the consortium - the dominant tree itself, and the shrubs accompanying it, and the grasses growing under it and on the shrub edge, and the insects that eat them, and the birds-animals that eat the leaves, herbs and insects, and the cap mushrooms that form the roots of mycorrhiza trees or tinder fungi drinking tree sap - all this can feed a person dying of hunger. In other words, you won’t die of hunger in the forest!
These consortia with specific consort species, confined to very specific landscape formations, are the main object of our guide to forest “pasture”. That is, our task is to look for “pasture” where it must be located. The second task is to get enough, but not to get poisoned.
Oak forests - oak forests, oak groves and sudubravy
Forests formed by oak (where it is the dominant edificator) are called oak forests. At the same time, pure oak stands = oak forests, mixed oak-pine forests = sudubravy and subori (in first place is the numerically dominant codominant), and multicomponent deciduous oak groves are named according to the accompanying forest-forming tree and shrub species included in the composition = elm, sedge, elm-sedge , hazel, etc. oak forests. In addition, oak forests are also classified according to the herbage that forms the lower ground layer - for example, grass, lily of the valley, bracken (fern) or dead cover, that is, without significant grass at all.
This division into subtypes and formations is determined by the characteristics of soil and plant conditions (soil differences, the nature of moisture and lighting) and is essential when describing specific habitats and searching for specific objects of “pasture”.
Common oak and its consortium
Oak is the main forest-forming species. Biologists and foresters distinguish many species and phenotypic varieties of oaks. For us this is not so significant - their consort ties are, by and large, similar.
Latin name -Quercus robur (common oak, or petiolate)
Description and identifying characteristics of oak
In our identification guide, this is a type species, known to everyone for its characteristic leaves and acorns, and therefore does not require a detailed description. Identifying common oak in a leafless state (in winter and early spring) also does not present any particular difficulties:
The crown of mature trees is steep, spreading, tent-shaped, and in open areas flattened ellipsoidal or almost spherical (photos 1 and 1a).
The trunk is thick and begins to branch early. The cork bark on the trunk (photos 2 and 2a) is rough, highly fissured (deeply lined with vertical and horizontal cracks). The color of the cork surface is dark brown, brown when cut. The cork of bark is layered and dense, as if with annual rings, which is clearly visible in the cross section.
The pedunculate oak has a special genetic modification - winter oak, in which the dried brown-brown leaves do not fall off and remain on the crown until spring (photo 3). There are approximately 10% of such individuals in the population. Delayed leaf fall is also typical for young trees.
In Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains, the forest-forming species of oak forests is also a closely related species – sessile oak Quercus petrae. There is a separate short article about it and other types of oaks in Eurasia.
Range and habitat
The temperate zone of Europe, and almost the entire Mediterranean except the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula.
In the southern part of the range, it is confined to river floodplains (forming floodplain oak groves of varying duration of inundation by spring floods), lakeside lowlands and relief depressions, as well as to the slopes and bottoms of steppe ravines, where it forms canopy oak groves. (photos 4 and 4a).
In the northern part of its range and in areas with sufficient atmospheric moisture, it forms mountain oak forests, settling even on watersheds.
In the mountains, the distribution of oak is determined by vertical zonality (it does not rise high) and the exposure of macroslopes, which determines moisture and temperature.
Environmental features
Photophilous breed. Megatroph - prefers richly humus soils. In river floodplains it occurs on sand, but under the sand deposits there is always a buried layer of chernozem or brown forest soils. Such a soil “layer cake” may have several sandy layers - like a Napoleon cake.
The pedunculate oak has two generations of leaves - spring (as expected) and summer (blooming is timed to coincide with the summer solstice). This is an evolutionary adaptation when small oak budworm caterpillars or other consort pests completely eat the leaves that bloom in the spring.
Edible parts and recipes for processing and preparation
Can be used for food acorns, inflorescence-catkins and young ones just blossoming leaves(light green or reddish tint), and also, in limited quantities - kidneys and leafy Gauls"ink nuts"
Ripe acorns can be collected from autumn (September) until spring, but the most “delicious” are those collected after the first frost. Acorns are stored well and for a long time in a humid environment, so they can be harvested for future use. Often, in litter and dry pits under trees, acorns themselves are preserved for a whole year.
Oak wakes up late. Earring inflorescences appear in April-May, and their flowering period is short. It is necessary to collect those whose anthers have not opened.
The leaves begin to bloom in April-May simultaneously with flowering, and from the second half of June their second generation appears (see above). In addition, the leaves do not bloom simultaneously, but are spread out over 2-3 weeks. Thus, young oak leaves can be constantly present on your forest table from April to July inclusive.
Oak buds are spring food. Inknut galls remain on fallen leaves until spring. True, as they become obsolete, their beneficial qualities (food and medicinal) weaken. The most suitable are “green and unripe” galls - on living leaves and whitish in color.
Acorns
Acorns(photo 5) contain a lot of carbohydrates - up to 47% (including 30-35% starch), more than 3% fat and up to 3.5% protein. Due to the presence of tannins and bitter substances in acorns, the taste is poor. Soaking or frying eliminates this bitterness and astringent taste.
Peeled and halved acorns should be soaked for two to three days, and the water should be changed three times every day. The survival website Survival.com.ua also mentions another method: acorns are buried in cooled ash or ashes and watered from time to time. Apparently the method is based on the absorptive properties of charcoal and should be quite effective, but we haven't tried it.
Acorns are best eaten in crushed form (cereals) or powder (flour). You can bake bread cakes from acorn flour, and make porridge from crushed flour. Below are recipes for preparing acorn dishes only from pasture, even without fat. But in the presence of milk, sugar, starch and other “civilized” products, the acorn menu can be significantly diversified.
Acorn bread
To prepare it, it is better to collect acorns after the first frost. After soaking, they are boiled in boiling water, finely chopped (it would be better to put them through a meat grinder), then dried in air and then fried over low heat, like seeds, until they begin to crunch. Acorns dried in this way are ground in a mortar or ground into flour in any way (photos 6 and 6a).
Next, the resulting flour is mixed into the dough with water, small flat cakes are formed (photo 7), which are fried in a frying pan, baking sheet or in a camp oven on both sides. You should know that acorn dough does not contain gluten, so the cakes turn out fragile, crumble and burn (photo 7a).
To avoid breaking the flatbread when turning it over, it is recommended to cover the frying pan with a second identical frying pan and turn them both over - the flatbread simply falls from one frying pan to the other, where it is finished cooking. If you have potato starch or other sticky ingredients on hand, the problem, of course, disappears (there will also be articles in this section about natural “wild” starch and gluten substitutes). In particular, it is good to knead acorn dough using a thick decoction or even a honeycomb of butter mushrooms, honey mushrooms, flammulins and other mushrooms that produce sticky juice.
Acorn crumbly porridge
Can serve as a side dish for meat, fish, “worm”, “larvae”, mushroom and vegetable dishes, as well as as an independent food. But the best use is mixed with mushroom sauté. Preliminary preparation is the same as for acorn bread, but fine grinding is not required. It is cooked in the same way as all other porridges. If it is made with milk, you will get a milk soup like rice soup.
Acorn bread and porridge are not food for gourmets or those with a sweet tooth, but they provide calories.
For gourmets - " acorn coffee " And cake . Oak acorns have long been used to make coffee substitutes. Roasted, shelled and ground, ground into powder, acorns are brewed in the same way as ground coffee. The taste is specific, generally pleasant, more reminiscent of cocoa than coffee. Moreover, a lot here depends on the degree of frying of the acorns - as they say, it depends on taste. Like natural coffee, our acorn coffee is an excellent tonic drink, but more nutritious. In light of the above, it would be more appropriate to call this drink not a coffee surrogate, but acorn cocoa.
If tasteless thin acorn cakes are greased with jam or condensed milk and stacked on top of each other, you will get a delicious dessert. And coarse toasted pieces sprinkled on top can easily replace nut crumbs here.
Oak buds
Oak buds(photos 8 and 8a) - medicinal raw materials in folk and official medicine. They are edible raw, but it should be remembered that this is, first of all, a medicine. You won’t get enough of them, but they are vitamin-rich “pasture”. April buds are swollen with easily detachable scales, while May buds, saturated with juice and ready to open, peel off on their own. The taste is bitter.
Male earring inflorescences
Male earring inflorescences (photo 9) are rich in pollen, which determines their nutritional and medicinal value. Suffice it to say that bees extract bee bread mainly from male oak inflorescences. Edible raw, both on their own and in salads - but when young, with unopened anthers (photos 9a and 9b). They have no taste.
9b. These earrings are no longer suitable - the pollen has flown out
Young leaves
Young leaves (photo 10) are edible on their own raw. But it is better to use it in lean or green borscht as a substitute for cabbage or sorrel. Also suitable for vitamin salads in finely chopped form. Moreover, as mentioned above, the massive appearance of edible young leaves of the oak tree is observed 2 times. The colder the spring, the more anthocyanin in spring leaves, which gives the leaves a red tint and a slightly bitter taste. The summer generation does not have this (photos 10a and 10b).
10a. The large leaves on the left side of the frame have already become leathery, and on the right, at the tip of the branch, they are quite suitable for soup or salad
10b. Chilled spring leaves - already covered with pimples
The leaves of the summer generation contain significantly more tannins and in large quantities can cause constipation. They are dangerous for indigestion. At the same time, spring leaves have a pronounced healing effect.
Gauls
Galls - “ink nuts” or “oak apples” (photo 11) - are spherical formations on leaves that are white, green or with a red side, like the apple of paradise (photos 11a and 11b).
These balls are up to three centimeters in diameter, which grow on the leaf blade due to the activity of the small “fly” oak gallworm. Oak consort oakleaf gallworm Cynips quercusfolii (photo 12), an insect from the order Hymenoptera, the size of the well-known fruit fly Drosophila, is a good example of the symbiotic consortium relationships discussed above.
By piercing the skin of a young leaf with its ovipositor, it lays an egg in the leaf parenchyma, from which a larva soon emerges. By feeding on leaf sap and secreting special chemicals, the larva causes the cells of the leaf parenchyma to rapidly divide, as a result of which this tissue grows and a gall with porous and elastic contents is formed. In this way, the gallworm larva creates a safe refuge for itself until next summer (photo 13).
The tannin-rich galls of the oak gallworm are used medicinally and were previously used to make ink (hence the “ink nuts”).
To solve food problems, we are not interested in tannins, but the overgrown spongy parenchyma in the galls (photo 14) can be used as an additive to salads, raw or boiled. Before cooking, the galls should be soaked in water to reduce the tannin content.
14. The visible sponginess of the spongy parenchyma of the oak apple is visible on the fault. In the center of the frame is a male gall moth sleeping until spring.
When using in hot dishes with other wild vegetables (stews or vegetarian side dishes), it is advisable to lightly boil them a couple of times before draining the water. You can also add pieces or whole galls with cut skins to field soups and borscht (in this case, the edible larva will also be used). There is no taste, but it will do to fill the stomach.
We have not tried stewing and frying (like cabbage or eggplant) as an independent dish in the field, but it seems promising. During culinary processing, spongy parenchyma “absorbs” the taste and aroma of other ingredients well. Therefore, it is good to stew and fry it, for example, with mushrooms and “wild” spices - garlic, thyme, oregano, etc.
If galls are prepared at home, that is, using fats and spices, then the result will be a completely acceptable addition to vegetable side dishes.
In addition, lightly soaked galls can be used as tea by brewing them whole and infusing them. The taste is specific astringent, medicinal.
You should know that oak galls, having a lot of healing properties for many ailments, are strictly contraindicated for people with bladder diseases. You also can’t eat in large quantities – it will lead to colic and vomiting.
Other utilities for autonomous survival
Young oak bark, collected in the spring from small branches and thin stems, and Gauls are one of the most common materials with tanning properties and used in medicine - they have an astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, hemostatic and reparative effect, which is important for self-medication in conditions of autonomous field stay. This property is primarily used for stomach disorders to “fix” the intestines, as well as for rinsing the mouth with inflammation of the gums and oral cavity. A decoction of oak bark also helps with mushroom poisoning.
Used as an infusion or decoction , prepared from crushed pieces. A decoction of oak bark as a lotion and bath is recommended for eye inflammation, frostbite, and burns. Compresses with oak infusion treat eczema and leg ulcers, as well as cracks in the skin.
Gauls have medicinal properties similar to oak bark. Fresh or dried and powdered galls are also used to relieve scurvy. The powder is sprinkled on purulent wounds. They have a particularly strong effect as a hemostatic agent for open wounds (powder powder) and internal bleeding (infusion, decoction, tea).
From oak bast– the inner part of the bark with bast can be woven into boxes and baskets. And also bast shoes or shoe covers. Quite long bast fibers are removed from young branches and trunks. Lapti made from the shingles of young oak trees used to be called “oaks”, and from the bark of an old oak - “oaks”.
Oak firewood give a hot and even flame, do not spark, but coals They turn out large and don’t cool down for a long time. Therefore, it is the best fuel for cooking kebabs and other food on a spit, grill, frying pan and baking sheet.
Dried green leaves ( oak broom) Gives a very tasty aroma when burning! Fallen dry leaves do not provide such an aromatic effect, or almost none. We strongly recommend using this property for preparing a variety of dishes - from barbecue and smoked meats to fish soup and vegetable stews. Smoke from oak brooms should be forced into cauldrons and frying pans using a lid or plank.
Oak cork– a good ornamental material, easy to cut with a knife. To avoid burning your hands on a hot lid or a hot metal mug, insert a piece of oak cork into the handle of the lid or mug. Due to its buoyancy and water resistance, cork is used to make floats. You can also use it as a pin cushion. And much more - necessity will force and teach.
Young heavy acorns can be used as cannonballs when shooting from a slingshot at small targets (at short distances). For example, when hunting wood mice or gophers. They stun them.
Other types of oaks and their features
In the genus Oak there are up to 600 deciduous and evergreen species, mainly trees, common in the temperate and tropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Moreover, in the temperate zone of Europe, where oak forests dominate other forests, there are not many species of oak. This genus reached its greatest species diversity in North and Central America, then in East and Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean (photo 15).
15. The habitat of the oak genus is natural forests (map from megabook.ru)
Due to their economic and decorative value, many American and other foreign oaks were introduced into Europe and brought into cultivation in the 18th-19th centuries and are still popular among landscape architects and gardeners. Therefore, in city parks and suburban forests you can find many overseas and overseas representatives of the oak tribe.
The oaks described below are the main ones forest-forming species of our natural broadleaf forests. And most often it is from them that foresters create artificial tree plantations.
Although biologists distinguish many species and phenotypic varieties of oaks (for example, there are shrub and even dwarf forms that form not forests, but sparse shrub thickets on hillsides), for us this is not so significant - their consortial connections are, by and large, similar. For example, in all oak trees, the roots form mycorrhiza with fungi, in particular with edible ones - oakberry, hedgehog mushroom, etc.
Not all oak trees produce edible acorns, leaves, buds and, especially, galls. This property - edibility - is found only in the group (section) of white oaks, which includes our English oak, sessile oak, downy oak, Georgian and Mongolian. In other species (especially in the red oak section), removing bitterness by soaking or boiling requires a lot of time, or the bitterness is completely ineradicable.
Sessile oak
Sessile oak or winter – Quercus petrae(photo 16)
It is the second main forest-forming species of European forests after English oak. Distributed mainly in Western European countries from Spain and the Mediterranean to the North Caucasus and Scandinavia (the range is sporadic, broken up by “spots”; for example, it is almost never found in Belarus). This is the edifier of forests in the lower zone of the mountains - the Crimean, Carpathian, Alps and Caucasus. In the Baltic states, Poland, Right Bank Ukraine and Moldova, the range overlaps with pedunculate oak, so here both species can be found in the same forest area.
Sessile oak is genetically and morphologically very close to pedunculate oak, but has some differences in the shape of the crown, bark, leaves (the lower surface of the leaves are pubescent) and acorns.
It is more thermophilic, but not as demanding on soil richness and moisture. Sessile oak is able to survive in very dry, sun-baked areas of the southern slopes of the chalk mountains, forming a unique xerophilous ecosystem (photo 16a). In such extreme positions, its thickets serve as a place for nesting birds, hibernation of cold-blooded animals, and resting places for mountain ungulates.
Eating is the same as that of pedunculate oak. But due to the pubescence of the lower part of the leaf blade, only the youngest leaves can be eaten - those that have barely blossomed (photo 16b).
An infusion of bark is used for poisoning - it is considered even more effective than an infusion of pedunculate oak bark.
Fluffy oak
Fluffy oak – Quercus pubescens(photo 17)
It got its name from the fact that young shoots, leaves and acorns are heavily pubescent (photos 17a, 17b and 17c).
Heat-loving resident of the Mediterranean. Within the former USSR, it is distributed in Moldova, Crimea and Transcaucasia. It grows wild in the foothills and lower mountain belt - no higher than 400 meters above sea level. In Moldova, fluffy oak forests are mainly of coppice origin - such low crooked-trunk groves, framed by bushes and alternating with clearings, are called gyrnets. This oak is also often used in silvicultural plantations and urban landscaping.
Downy oak is even more extremophile than sessile oak. It grows almost exclusively on carbonate soils (chalk, limestone, marls, etc.) - with a high calcium content (photo 17d).
On very dry soils of the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains and Transcaucasia, it forms low-trunked woodlands - the height of the trees here does not exceed 8-10 meters (photo 17d); and on the wetter soils of the limestone plateaus, this oak sometimes reaches 20-25 meters.
Eating is the same as sessile oak.
Georgian oak
Georgian oak, or large-fruited – Quercus iberica
Forest-forming species of the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Talysh, northern Iran and Asia Minor. Occupies the middle mountain belt (from 400 to 1000 meters), prefers southern slopes. Moreover, on steep slopes it forms pure oak forests.
“Adult” leaves are shiny green and leathery (photo 18). Earrings are dense, slightly pubescent (photo 18a). Acorns are very large, up to 5 cm in length and “sweeter” than those of pedunculate oak.
Eating is the same as that of pedunculate oak.
Long-legged oak
Long-legged oak, or floodplain – Quercus longipes(photo 19)
The main species of mountain-valley and floodplain forests of Eastern Transcaucasia. For example, in Azerbaijan, on the river terraces of the Kura and its tributaries, long-legged oak, together with accompanying deciduous species, forms tugai forests, rising into the mountains to a kilometer height.
It is close in its characteristics and nutritional properties to sessile and pedunculate oak.
Mongolian oak
Mongolian oak – Quercus mongolica(photo 20)
Far Eastern species with a wide range. Naturally grows in the middle and southern parts of the Far East (in the Amur region, Primorsky Territory, Sakhalin), in Manchuria, Korea and mountain coniferous-deciduous forests of East Asia, where it is an edificator, as well as in the Chita region of the Russian Federation. But in Mongolia this oak tree is not found (there is an overlay with the name). Introduced into cultivation and found in experimental forest plantations throughout the European part of the former USSR.
Low-growing tree (up to 10 meters tall). It has smooth gray bark (unlike other oaks with fissured and imbricated brown-brown bark).
Like the previous species, it belongs to the white oak section, and the content of tannins in the bark is small, less than 1%. In this connection, its pre-culinary processing is easier than others.
The buds are large, up to 1 cm in length. Acorns are relatively small - 1.5-2 cm long, ripen in mid-September (photos 20a and 20b). They are “sweeter” than those of pedunculate oak.
Large anther oak
Large anther oak, or Oriental – Quercus macranthera
Alpine view of the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Iran and Asia Minor; rises into the mountains up to 2650 meters above sea level. It grows on a wide variety of substrates - from almost bare rocks to soils rich in humus. Very drought resistant. However, this is a species rarely found in the wild. In Europe (Germany, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, etc.) it was introduced into culture.
Young shoots are densely pubescent. The leaves are highly variable and vary from “typically oak”, entire crenate, to serrated lobed. But inedible or inedible acorns are practically indistinguishable from acorns of the common oak.
Belongs to the bitter oak section – Mesobalanus.
Its densely pubescent oak catkins are the largest and most “appetizing” among all other oaks (which is why it got its name “large-anthered”). Their length is 10-15 cm (photo 21). When fresh, they taste bitter and rough due to the pubescence. It is necessary to soak, boil, add salt or add vinegar.
Acorns are too bitter, they say that soaking does not help (we did not conduct experiments with these acorns). However, there are indications (S.V. Obruchev “Handbook of Traveler and Local Historian”) that acorn bread is also made from them.
Inedible oak species
Austrian oak, or Turkish (Quercus cerris). Widely distributed in Europe. The range occupies Central and South-Eastern Europe, where it overlaps with the other above-mentioned species of European lowland oaks, as well as Asia Minor. It differs from other species in appearance by the color of the branches - they are yellow-brown, and the shoots of the first year appear dull and gray-green due to pubescence. Young leaves are also pubescent, while mature leaves are shiny and leathery on top (photo 22).
Acorns are easily distinguished from other species by their shaggy-scaly cap (photo 22a).
Belongs to the section of the most bitter - red oaks. Counts inedible.
Since the 17th century, North American species such as red oak (Quercus rubra) and swamp oak (Quercus palustris) have often been used in cultivated forest plantations and urban landscaping throughout central Europe. Externally similar to each other, they are clearly distinguished from European oaks by their smooth bark (in young trees) and red autumn leaves (photo 23). Their newly opened and young leaves are also red. Foresters have reasons for their special love for these two species - for example, they are very resistant to industrial smoke and gases, and are not affected by powdery mildew. But they are inedible due to their ineradicably bitter taste.
The remaining species of local or introduced “overseas” oaks are either rarely found (relicts and endemics of the Mediterranean, Caucasus, Transcaucasia), or are used in plantations (cork oaks) or as decorative park species (evergreen exotics). Most of them belong to the bitter section and are not suitable for food.
However, the leaves of almost all oaks, both “bitter” and “sweet” species, are used for salting, pickling and fermenting vegetables and mushrooms, and oak bark and branches are excellent flavoring agents for homemade cognacs and smoked meats. In addition, it is believed that an oak broom in a steam bath is even better than a birch broom in its healing and invigorating qualities.
Consorts of English oak and related species
And many other species of fungi, plants, animals, as well as oak consort trees and shrubs, forming their own symbiotic and secondary consort relationships.
Consort species that are widely known as food items (such as traditional mushrooms or game species of animals) are not considered in our reference book (only mentioned) or are discussed briefly.
Anatoly Levin
A majestic tree, in rare cases growing up to 35 m, with a huge, upward-pointing, albeit spreading crown. The straight trunk is covered with a thick and tough ash-gray bark; in nature, it is sometimes beautifully covered with lichens, heavily wrinkled, with deep grooves in all directions. The alternate leaves are semi-deciduous (i.e., having dried, they remain on the oak until next spring), on a stalk up to 2.5 cm long, the leaf plate is ovate-elongated, harsh, dissected into lobes, dark green, slightly shiny on top, and the bottom is a little lighter, matte and pubescent. Young leaves, like the twigs, are pubescent on both sides; in addition, the leaves have two long, thread-like, very strong stipules. The flowers are unisexual (indeed, we are talking about a monoecious plant). Male flowers are collected in heads (balls) on earrings, they have a perianth of 6 greenish sepals and stamens with bright yellow anthers; female flowers from 1 to 5 pieces on short stalks, they are wrapped in a plus, a shell of small scales arranged in a spiral and fused together. The fruit is ovoid, a brown acorn 2.5 cm long with a plus covered with the most delicate silver fluff. Half of the acorn is covered with a woody top formed from long, linear, wrinkled scales.
ORIGIN. South-Eastern Europe and Asia Minor.
ECOLOGY. This tree, typical of a climate close to the Mediterranean, grows at altitudes from sea level to 800 m, rising to 1500 m in Sicily, the Peloponnese and Turkey. Burgundy oak forms both oak forests and mixed forests, where sessile oak, downy oak, franetto oak, holm oak, chestnut and maple grow. The tree prefers neutral-acid, clay soils.
SPREADING. From Italy to the Black Sea, including the Balkan Peninsula and the coastal mountains of Anatolia. In Italy, Burgundy oak grows from the foothills of the Alps, throughout the Apennine Peninsula, including Sicily. In Italy, magnificent oak groves can be found everywhere. These are the oak groves of Cantoniere in the province of Urbino, and the oak groves of Accetura in Basilicata, but the oak groves in Lazio are the longest and look just like wild ones.
APPLICATION. The wood of the Burgundy oak is tough, but not very strong and is valued less than the wood of other oaks, so it is used for firewood. After special processing, the wood is used to produce railway sleepers.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Burgundy oak is difficult to confuse with other oaks due to the uniqueness of its leaves, acorns and bark.
Walloon Oak
Walloon oak grows up to 15 m in height, it has a dark green, very spreading and majestic crown and a straight and branched trunk, powerful and curved branches extend almost from the base. The bark is brownish-gray, very wrinkled, cracked and densely dotted with small plates. The last order branches are covered with thick grayish fluff. The leaves are semi-deciduous (that is, they remain on the branches until the spring of next year), they are alternate, up to 10 cm long, both leaf blades, especially the lower one, are gray and pubescent, the petiole is up to 4 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate-elongated, with an almost heart-shaped base, consists of 3-7 pairs of not very deeply cut lobes, ending in an almost spinous tooth. Male flowers are collected in yellowish thread-like earrings, female flowers, sessile on branches, are single or 2-3 pieces. The fruit is an ovoid, fairly large acorn that takes two years to ripen; after ripening, its pericarp turns brown. It is covered with a wide plus of large, thick and flat scales standing upright.
ORIGIN. South-eastern regions of the Mediterranean.
ECOLOGY. Walloon oak is characteristic of dry forests growing on limestone soils along with holm, kermes and downy oak.
SPREADING. From Southeast Italy east to Asia Minor and the Middle East. In Italy, this magnificent oak grows in two places: in Tricase - in the province of Puglia and in Matera - in the province of Basilicata. In Tricase you can admire the “Oak of a Hundred Horsemen”, the width of its crown is as much as 35 m.
APPLICATION. Acorn plums contain a lot of tannin, which is why they are used in the leather industry.
SIMILAR SPECIES., which, however, differs sharply in the lighter color of the foliage; in old leaves, the upper side of the leaf blade is bare and the lower side is almost bare, the plus scales are narrow, partially curved.
- a tree up to 25 m high with an evergreen, very dark green, dense, rounded or widely spreading crown, making a huge impression on old trees. The straight and strong trunk is covered with brownish-gray, wrinkled bark, cracked into almost rectangular plates. The evergreen alternate hard leaves are very different in shape and size: from almost round to lanceolate with a whole, wavy, curved-toothed or even such a serrated-spiny edge that they resemble the leaves of holly or kermes oak. Their maximum length is 7 cm, they have a short petiole, their upper leaf blade is bare, shiny and dark green, and the lower one is grayish, with convex veins, and pubescent. Male flowers, like all oaks, are collected in balls (heads), forming thread-like earrings, and female flowers on a short peduncle bloom singly or in 2-3 pieces on the branches. The acorn is up to 3 cm long, it has an elongated and pointed pericarp when ripe, chestnut color, which is covered almost to the middle with a thin, light gray plus with pressed scales.
ECOLOGY. This heat-loving tree is typical of Mediterranean bushes. Holm oak grows from sea level to an altitude of 600 m (up to 1500 m in the Apennines) on poor and not too clayey soils. In ancient times, holm oak formed forests that stretched along the entire coast and covered all the mountains on the islands, of which now only pitiful remnants remain.
SPREADING. FROM the Iberian Peninsula and from North Africa east through Italy and Greece to Asia Minor and the Middle East.
APPLICATION. Already in ancient times it was known that holm oak has a lot of tannin, it has very hard wood, difficult to process, which limits its use. Therefore, it is primarily used for afforestation and street landscaping.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Cork oak, which, however, in addition to the very characteristic bark (cork) on the leaves, has a curved central vein, if you look at the leaf from above, and the acorns have a plus with a fairly widened edge and slightly convex scales. AND kermes oak, whose leaves and young branches are completely bare.
Kermes oak
- the tree in rare cases reaches a height of 4 m, usually it is a bush with a rounded, evergreen, more or less disheveled, dense, shiny and dark green crown. If there is a trunk, it is covered with wrinkled and fissured light brown bark. Very hard evergreen alternate leaves are smaller than those of other European oaks, their maximum length is not more than 4 cm. They have a short petiole, a bare and shiny leaf blade, wide ovate or oblong with a heart-shaped or rounded base, a serrated and very spiny edge, except Moreover, it is often also wavy. Male flowers hang in yellowish catkins, and female flowers on short stalks, 1-4 pieces, bloom on the branches. Acorns ripen in the second year, they have an oblong pericarp, after ripening it becomes brown and shiny, the third part of it is covered by a plus, it is distinguished by scales that have turned into lignified and sharp spines.
ORIGIN. Mediterranean pool.
ECOLOGY. Kermes oak is characteristic of the driest Mediterranean thickets (Oleo-Ceratonion), where it grows under the hot sun on calcareous, rocky soil.
SPREADING. From Central and Southern Spain, from Southern France and from North Africa east to Greece, to the Peloponnese Islands, Asia Minor and the Middle East. In Italy, kermes oak is rare; it grows in western Liguria, on the large islands (Sardinia and Sicily) and in Salento, where it mixes with other plants of the Mediterranean thickets.
APPLICATION. In the past, from dried and powdered adult female insects (Chemes vermilio) Living on the branches of the Kermes oak tree, they extracted bright red dye for dyeing fabrics.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Bush-like forms of holm oak with spiny leaves, from which the kermes oak differs in that its underside of the leaf blade and young branches are completely bare and the tops of its acorns are bristling with thorns.
Red oak 1
Red oak, or holly oak, or Canadian oak- a large, fast-growing, durable tree reaching a height of 25 meters. In its homeland in the United States, red oak is of great forestry importance. Its heavy hardwood has a beautiful amber color with a reddish tint and is used to make boards, furniture, and plywood.Red oak is quite hardy in Northwest conditions. In severe winters, the ends of young branches may freeze. Tolerates city conditions well. Moderately shade-tolerant, but grows best in full light. Prefers well-drained acidic soils. It grows poorly on calcareous soils and does not tolerate stagnant moisture. Red oak is resistant to pests and diseases. Not affected by powdery mildew.
The crown of red oak is dense, tent-shaped or broadly ovoid. The bark is thin gray. The leaves of red oak differ from the usual pedunculate oak, large, up to 23 centimeters long, 3–5 lobed (the blades are pointed). They vaguely resemble the leaves of Norway maple. When blooming, the leaves of red oak are reddish, in summer they become dark green, and in autumn they acquire a spectacular color - in young plants the leaves are bright red, in adults they are brown with a reddish tint. Red oak gets its name from the fall color of its leaves.
Red oak is used for single and group plantings, creating alleys; it is suitable for planting along roads and streets, as it is highly gas-resistant. This tree is not suitable for small areas as it grows quickly and grows to a large size.
Red oak is propagated by seeds; collected acorns are sown in autumn or spring after stratification.
- a monoecious deciduous tree up to 20 m tall (in most areas of the Russian Far East there are low trees, often of coppice origin, 8-12 m tall), with a spherical crown, smooth gray trunk bark, dense leathery lobed leaves. The flowers are heterosexual, small, inconspicuous. The fruits are brown acorns.
Natural range: Russian Far East, Eastern Siberia, China, Korea, where it forms mixed or pure oak stands.
Blooms for 2-9 days in May. Acorns ripen in mid-August-September. It prefers soils of average richness and moisture, but is also found in dry, poor soils, where it does not reach large sizes, and sometimes can grow like a large shrub. Photophilous. Gas resistant. Growth is slow. Durability under natural growing conditions is more than 300 years.
Propagated by seeds, which are best sown in autumn. When sowing in spring, preliminary cold stratification is necessary at a temperature of 2-5 °C for 3-4 months.
Can be used in landscaping in single and group plantings.
1
Height: up to 37 mArea: most of Europe, Caucasus, Türkiye, northwest Africa
Places of growth: deciduous forests and woodlands of the temperate zone, on fertile soils
Or English oak, or summer, or English, grows most abundantly in France and Germany, where vast forests consisting mainly of this tree still exist. At one time, huge oak forests grew in England. The British used oak wood to build their ships, thanks to which Britain remained the dominant maritime power for almost four centuries. But by the end of the 17th century. The oak forests here were almost completely cut down, and the British began to import oak wood from the Baltic countries.
The powerful but relatively short trunk of the common oak is crowned with a dense spreading crown. Leathery, lobed leaves sit on short petioles and reach a length of 10 cm.
A tall tree (up to 20-40 m) with a powerful root system, a wide pyramidal crown, strong branches and a thick trunk. The bark is dark gray, thick, longitudinally fissured. The leaves are short-petiolate, alternate, leathery, pinnately lobed, obovate in outline, entire, obtuse. The flowers are inconspicuous, unisexual, the plant is monoecious; staminate - collected in drooping earrings, they consist of a 6-8-parted, greenish perianth and 6-10 stamens. Pistillate flowers have a reduced perianth, collected 1-3 in the axils of the upper leaves; pistil - 1, with 3-lobed stigma. The fruit is an ovoid, brownish-yellow acorn, on a long stalk, surrounded by a shallow cup-shaped plus. It blooms in May, the fruits ripen in September - October. Grows best in fairly rich soils. Drought resistant. Moderately shade-tolerant (tolerates lateral shading well, but suffers when growing apical shoots are shaded and reduces growth rate). It is preferable to plant in habitats protected from the wind. Gas resistant. Forest-forming species of deciduous and mixed forests.
It is especially decorative due to its leaves - dark green in summer and yellow or yellow-brown in autumn, as well as dark, intricately curved branches in winter.
Propagated by seeds after preliminary stratification at a temperature of 1-3 ° C for 1-3 months. It is advisable to sow in the spring, since acorns can germinate at a temperature of 1.5-2 C and can freeze when sowed in the fall.
Limited use in groups and single plantings in parks is recommended.
Flaw: leaves are sometimes affected by "powdery mildew". ...
Height: up to 21 m
Area: Western Mediterranean, Atlantic coast of Europe and North-West Africa
Places of growth: evergreen oak and pine forests and bushland, mainly on rocky hills
SIMILAR SPECIES. Holm oak It is distinguished not only by its thinner, wrinkled, blackish-brown bark, but also by its leaves with a straight central vein, when viewed from above, and a cylindrical semicircular, never widened, with completely pressed scales plus on the acorns.
An evergreen tree, reaching 20 m in height, with a very spreading and disheveled green, but still slightly grayish crown. At first the trunk is straight, but very soon it bends or bends and is covered with a very characteristic bark: grayish, several centimeters thick, which falls off in whole, rather heavy pieces. When a piece falls off, new reddish-brown, sometimes cinnamon-colored or almost orange, bark is visible underneath. Evergreen, alternate, ovate-oblong, hard, toothed leaves with a petiole up to 1.5 cm long, a central sinuous vein visible on the upper leaf blade. The plate is up to 7 cm long, its upper part is dark green, slightly shiny, and the lower part is light gray and pubescent. Male flowers in “balls” (bundles, heads) are collected in thin earrings, and female flowers, from 1 to 3 pieces, each with a very short peduncle. The ovoid acorn reaches 3 cm in length and is covered with a thin, rather widened plus, covered with gray, pubescent, not completely pressed scales; the pericarp is pointed; when ripe, it becomes shiny and brown.
belongs to a large group of small-leaved evergreen oaks, most of which grow in southern China, Japan, Mexico and California (USA) and inhabit hilly shrubby heaths. The cork oak gained worldwide fame due to its thick gray bark, which is the world's main source of cork - a material extremely widely used in everyday life, medicine and industry. The ancient Romans knew the cork well: in the word “ suber“They called both the cork oak itself and its bark. Water-repellent compound contained in cork suberin produced in the bark cells of many trees. But in oak bark it is present almost in pure form.
Cork oak branches are covered with thick, wrinkled bark and small leaves. The outer layer of bark can be removed without any harm to the tree every 10 years. Today, the world's main supplier of cork is Portugal.
- one of the most common oaks common in Italy, it can be found almost everywhere in the Mediterranean. The tree can grow to a height of 20 m, but often looks like a more or less twisted bush with a disheveled but rounded crown. The trunk and branches are covered with gray-brown or blackish, very wrinkled bark, cracked into small, almost rectangular plates. Deciduous, alternate leaves 6-12 cm long on a petiole 1.2-1.5 cm long, their leaf blade is medium ellipsoidal-oblong, has various shapes, differing in size and, above all, in blades, which can be curved and even pinnate, in this case the blades themselves are made up of blades. Young leaves are covered with soft down; in older leaves it is more or less retained on the lower leaf blade. Male flowers in earrings form numerous “balls” (heads), female flowers have a short pedicel, and they bloom in groups of 1-5 pieces on the branches. The fruit is an acorn with an ovoid pericarp, shiny and brown when ripe and covered by a third with a plus of heavily compressed, pubescent scales.
ORIGIN. Southern Europe and Asia Minor.
ECOLOGY. Fluffy oak is typical for a belt with a climate close to the Mediterranean, these are coastal plains and mountain spurs up to 800 m above sea level, in rare cases up to 1500 m. The tree prefers well-lit slopes and is completely indifferent to the type of soil. However, on calcareous soils, due to reasons determined by the microclimate (lighting, better drainage) and related to the morphology, and not the chemical composition of the soil, it takes the palm. It forms pure oak groves, or together with sessile oak, Burgundy oak, black hornbeam, ash, mountain ash, mixed forests, and below it can be combined with plants that prefer acidic soils, such as serratula tinctoria, cinquefoil (Potentilla erecta), broom (Holcus mollis), common bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) or, conversely, those that love alkaline soils, for example, sparrow (Lithospermum purpurocaerulum), cotoneaster (Cotoneaster nebrodensis), Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, china (Lathyrus niger), viburnum (Viburnum lantana) and others - it all depends on whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.
SPREADING. From Spain to the Atlantic coasts of France and east to Asia Minor; for Italy this is the most familiar tree: downy oak grows in all regions, from the Alps to Salento, Sicily and Sardinia.
APPLICATION. The wood of the downy oak is similar to the wood of the pedunculate oak, but is more difficult to process; it is used for the production of railway sleepers.
SIMILAR SPECIES. At the leaves sessile oak the petiole is usually longer and the lower plate is bare. Downy oaks include numerous ecogeographic variants, many of which are described as distinct species. This Quercus congesta with a rounded and dense crown, very common on large islands, Quercus dalechampii from the coasts of Campania and Calabria, which has larger and often pinnate leaves and, finally, Quercus virgilliana, also growing on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, its only difference is its sweet and edible acorns ( chestnut oak).
Height up to 40 m. Spreading form, especially at the top. The bark is brownish-gray, wrinkled, with longitudinal grooves. The leaves are deciduous, petiolate, with rounded, regular lobes. Male flowers - in earrings, sessile female flowers - 1-5 pieces. The fruits are acorns in a plus with tightly pressed scales.
ORIGIN. Central, Western and Southern Europe.
ECOLOGY. Sessile oak is a typical tree for places with a temperate, humid climate, it grows from 0 and in the lowlands at an altitude of 1300 m above sea level, forming oak groves, more often it is accompanied where there are acidic soils, pedunculate, downy, Burgundy oaks, chestnut, common hornbeam and beech.
SPREADING. From Central Europe north to Great Britain, Ireland and southern Scandinavia, south to Italy, Macedonia and Bulgaria. In Italy, pure sessile oak forests are rare. This is not a common tree in Italy and is often confused with English oak. Mixed deciduous forests are more common, especially in the Alps.
APPLICATION. Sessile oak wood is one of the most valuable, it is used in shipbuilding, floors, furniture and barrels for “aging” liqueurs are made from it, and it is good for wood carving.
SIMILAR SPECIES. , in which the leaves are usually slightly smaller, the blades are more cut out and the lower plate remains pubescent longer.
Bright red oak
Bright red oak- a tree up to 20 m high with a crown that expands greatly in old trees, giving this oak an elegant and majestic appearance. The straight trunk, expanding at the base, becomes powerful in ancient trees; it is covered with bark, which is very similar to the bark of a red oak, at first it is smooth, gray and shiny, then brownish, wrinkled and with grooves, most often vertical. Falling alternate ovate-ellipsoidal leaves up to 18 cm long sit on a 3-6 cm petiole. The leaf blade is dissected almost to the central vein into 3-4 pairs of lobes with irregular spinous teeth. In autumn, the leaves first turn bright red, then darken to purple before falling off. Male flowers are collected in earrings, and female flowers are single or in pairs, on a very short peduncle. The fruits are acorns that take two years to ripen. They are very small (the diameter of the plus is 10-15 mm), their pericarp is greatly shortened and covered by the plus almost to the very top.
ORIGIN. Central and eastern regions of North America.
ECOLOGY. Mixed, light broadleaf forests on acidic soils, but it does best in deep, dry, poor soils.
APPLICATION. Bright red oak is used for landscaping, in gardens, and streets are lined with it. The wood of this oak is hard and durable, it has little tannin, so it rots easily.
SIMILAR SPECIES. with shallower leaf blades and an acorn plus up to 25 mm wide; swamp oak(Quercus palustris)
- the tree can grow up to 30 m in height, its spreading and rounded crown is supported by branches, often knotty and twisted. The straight trunk becomes curved with age, at first it is covered with greyish, smooth or slightly wrinkled bark, which then turns into brownish, scaly and densely furrowed. Falling alternate leaves are the largest in Italian oaks, their length reaches 20 cm. The ovoid or oblong leaf plate is supported by a 2-6 mm petiole, it consists of 7-9 pairs of narrow and deeply cut blades, in turn also more or less lobed. Both sides of young leaves have woolly pubescence, then the upper one becomes bare, and the lower one retains reddish-gray or rusty-gray pubescence. Male flowers form glomeruli (heads) arranged in thin catkins and have a perianth of 6 sepals. Female flowers have a short peduncle, they stick to each other in groups of 2-5. Acorns after ripening are brownish-yellow; a plus with pubescent scales covers half of the acorn.
ECOLOGY. This oak is found at an altitude of 1200 m above sea level, it needs the same conditions as the Burgundy oak, so they create mixed oak groves together, although there are also pure, separate oak groves. This oak prefers neutral and acidic, even relatively undeveloped soils.
SPREADING. From the Apennine Peninsula to Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. In Italy, this oak appears irregularly on the low Maremma in Grossetto, more often it is found in Lazio and Southern Umbria, going to Campania and Puglia (from Gargano) all the way to Calabria, where it is the most familiar tree. In Italy there is a lot of this oak in the Circeo National Park. Also in the Umbra Forest of Gargano you can admire the magnificent franetto oaks, which form pure oak forests on the Ionian slope of Sila.
SIMILAR SPECIES. , in which sometimes the leaves are also strongly dissected, but they can always be distinguished, since they are much smaller and the pubescence of the underside of the leaf blade is not reddish or reddish. A variety of this oak with slightly larger fruits and slightly smaller leaves has been described in Sicily, but there is no definitive confirmation of this and no new research on this matter.
- a tree up to 15 m high, but much more often much lower and resembles a bush. The crown is round, spreading, horizontal, it is supported by a straight trunk branching from the base with blackish-brown, furrowed bark. The alternate leaves are semi-deciduous (that is, fall at the end of winter), their length is up to 9 cm, the petiole is very short, the leaf blade is ovate-oblong with regular teeth, which ends with a short spine. In an adult leaf, both sides are almost identical, bright green and shiny. Male flowers with a small perianth of 6 sepals are united in “balls” (tufts, heads), which are collected in thin earrings; sessile female flowers bloom singly or in groups of 2-4 on the branches. The fruit is a round or ovoid acorn that takes two years to ripen. After ripening, the pericarp becomes brownish, more than half of it is covered by a large plus with scales pressed in their lower part, protruding and bent towards the center of the plus, protruding but straight near the edge of the same plus.
ORIGIN. South-Eastern Europe.
ECOLOGY. This Mediterranean tree grows from sea level to 600 m altitude, mainly on limestone soils, where it forms pure oak groves or, together with downy oak, oak groves.
SPREADING. From Basilicata and from Puglia east through the Balkans and to the Black Sea.
IN ITALY, the franjo oak has settled in oak groves in Puglia, as well as south from Murga to Salento, and in the province of Matera in the Selva forest, where it grows together with the Walloon oak.
APPLICATION. This oak is rarely grown in Italy; its wood is used only for fuel.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Walloon oak, which, however, has mature leaves and twigs with gray pubescence and the plus one has thick, wide, flat, vertical scales. Oak with chestnut leaves Originally from China, it is often grown in the parks of Central and Northern Italy. At first glance, this is a typical chestnut with leaves with jagged-spinous edges, but in some ways they also resemble the Franjo oak. In any case, they are longer, oval-lanceolate, with a cone-shaped base and a very sharp apex.