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Oak is a massive, sturdy tree, along with other wild trees, they represent a special majesty due to the spreading bushes.

The oak is considered the king of the forest, the tree grows for a long time, it will take more than 70 years to see a thick trunk. The peculiarity of such a tree is that for the first few decades it grows in length, and then in thickness.

The roots of the tree grow deep into the ground, young shoots always grow from the main trunk.

Oak loves sunlight, you can see how an oak grows on the most illuminated edges of a pine forest, stretching high. Oak tolerates drought well, tolerates frosty winters well, and also grows in any soil.

Acorns can be harvested 14 years after the tree was planted, but if the oak grows in an open, sunny place, the fruits ripen much earlier. To get a tree, it is necessary to plant an acorn in the ground.

In Russia, certain varieties of oak trees are planted, namely the pedunculate or summer oak. The wood of such a tree is considered strong, suitable for the construction of houses, furniture.

Often oak canvases are used in the construction of ships, yachts, as they are resistant to pests. Corks for bottles are made from oak bark, for this purpose cork oak is specially grown.

Oak bark is widely used in medicine for the treatment of diseases of the oral cavity, throat, is included in the herbal collection, which helps with inflammation, certain skin diseases, and burns.

Pigs are fed with acorns, and certain varieties are planted in parks as ornamental plants.

The chestnut-leaved oak has unusually beautiful leaves; they are collected for herbarium in September.

How to grow an oak tree?

To plant an oak tree, it is necessary that the acorn be fresh, this crop, dry fruits most likely will not sprout. Acorns are planted in the ground at the end of September before frosts or in the spring after them.

It is recommended to apply special fertilizers to the soil so that pests do not appear in the ground. When planted, oak fruits are often eaten by rodents underground, as a result, the seed disappears.

To plant acorns in the ground in the spring, they must be properly stored throughout the winter. The temperature should be 0 degrees or slightly higher. The room should be humid, not stuffy. Most often, acorns are stored in the cellar.

In the fall, healthy fruits should be planted, which should be harvested in dry weather, and then dried on a window for five days. Before sowing, it is necessary to check acorns for the presence of pests, worms or insects, it is enough to open several healthy fruits from the general collected heap.

Seeds suitable for planting have yellow seeds inside, missing fruits inside are usually gray or brown.

You can check the suitability of seeds for planting by soaking in water, dead acorns will float to the top.

To plant an oak tree on your site, you must mark the planting site before planting, namely, make long grooves 30 cm apart. Acorns are laid out in furrows at a distance of 10 cm from each other, after which they are covered with earth.

The tree takes a long time to sprout, it will take time to see the first shoots, about two months. First, the root grows in the ground, becomes stronger, then the growth falls on the stem itself.

It is recommended to plant the tree in the spring, as in the autumn the tree can emerge in unfavorable weather. Do not be upset if after three weeks you do not see seedlings, give the seeds time, the germination speed largely depends on the variety, on the planting time, as well as on the soil.

You can dig a little ground, if the seeds have sprouted, then everything is in order.

Planting an oak, the process, as you can see, is not difficult, the main rule of a good harvest is to find healthy, full-fledged fruits.

The main types of mighty oaks

The genus has up to half a thousand (and maybe more) varieties of this tree known to everyone.

Oaks of Russia

Petiolate (Quercus robur) is a traditional representative for Russia and Western European countries.

Distinctive features:

Resistance to large temperature fluctuations;
Long-term drought tolerance;
Wind resistant.

Prefers good fertile soil. In the field, the plant reaches 50 meters in height. In group plantings, the individuals are lower, the crowns are located in the upper part of the trunk, which is ensured by high light-requiring. The leaves are large – up to 15 cm in length. The petiolate oak is considered a long-liver – the age of some individuals is 1500 years with an average life expectancy of 300-500 years.

The chestnut oak is a rare representative of the genus, listed in the Red Book. It was subjected to active felling for use for construction purposes – its wood is distinguished by high frost resistance and hardness. The trunk can stretch up to 30 meters, the crown has the shape of a tent. The leaves with pointed triangular edges are similar to those of the chestnut tree, from which the species got its name.

In Russia, the chestnut-leaved plant is found in deciduous forests and in artificial park areas. Active work is underway to restore the population of this species.

The large anthered oak grows in the southern mountainous regions of the Caucasus. Artificially planted in park areas.

Distinctive features:

Short leaf (up to 8 cm) with blunt lobes;
Brightness;
Slow growth;
Drought and frost resistance.

Mongolian oak has an attractive decorative appearance, which is why landscape designers love it. In Russia, a tree is planted in alleys as an array or tapeworm on land plots.

The leaves of the representative are elongated, reaching 20 cm. In summer, their color is dark green, at the beginning of falling off it is bright brown. The tree grows well in partial shade.

The Gartvis oak (Armenian) begins the genus in the Western Caucasus. The leaves are obovate, have up to 12 rounded pairs. Acorns form and develop on long stalks. In view of the peculiarities of the origin, they like moderate shade, humidity, warm temperatures, fertile soil. It does not tolerate winter well, therefore it cannot grow in colder regions.

American genus of oak

The following plant varieties have origin on the American continent:

Red is a bright powerful tree up to 30 (sometimes 50) meters high. The trunk diameter reaches 1 meter. A distinctive feature is the specific color of the leaves: after blooming, they have a reddish base, in summer they are bright green, in autumn they acquire a crimson or bright brown hue. For other characteristics, the tree is similar to the Russian petiolate representative of the genus.

The bright color made the red oak a popular decoration of urban landscapes – the tree is artificially grown in different parts of the world.

Northern (boreal) native to North America, similar to red. Egg-shaped crown and leaves. The trunk differs from other representatives in its smoothness – it is less prone to roughness and cracking.

The leaf reaches 25 cm in length, becomes bright red in autumn.

The tree is widespread in European countries, grows in forest and park plantations.

The stone evergreen giant is like a classic from the movies – a wide spreading crown with infrequent branches, a large-diameter trunk with gray bark and deep cracks.

The leaves of stone oaks are small – up to 8 cm. They are distinguished by a yellowish or white substrate, sometimes with hairiness.

The tree is unpretentious to living conditions: it grows on any soil in any light . Amenable to floristic decoration.

The genus of stone oak includes several decorative subspecies: curly, small and round, long, narrow-leaved, golden-motley, Ford’s form.

Large-fruited oak is distinguished by the presence of enlarged acorns – up to 5 cm in length. The puck takes up about half the length of the fruit. The peduncle is short.

The tree has interesting leaves: elongated with a wedge-shaped base, up to 5 pairs of blades. When blooming, they have a silvery color with a spray effect, then they turn richly green, acquire shine, the lower plane slightly whitens.

The tree loves moisture, therefore it grows in rainy areas or near water bodies.

Willow can be confused with willow due to a similar leaf shape – narrow, oblong, up to 12 cm in length. The crown acquires a dull yellow color in the autumn.

Unlike willow, the willow oak is unpretentious to the soil and the place of growth: it lives in deciduous forests, looks good in artificial parks.

Europe and the Mediterranean

Cork oak is an evergreen tree up to 20 meters in height. Small oval leaves up to 6 cm in length with a shiny surface and pubescent substrate. The acorns are small, deeply sunk into the ply.

The cork representative loves moisture, but is resistant to drought, grows slowly . It is planted in alleys and squares.

It is a valuable buccal species native to the Mediterranean.

The rocky (sessile) species is widely used as the main massif in forest and park plantations. The leaf has a long two-centimeter petiole, the female acorns and flowers have a short peduncle.

The tree loves warmth, shade, moderate humidity. The genus originates in Eastern Europe: in the Carpathians, Moldavia, Ukraine, it is slightly widespread in Western Europe.

A fluffy oak tree often resembles a bush up to 10 meters high (as in the photo). Its leaves, flowers, shoots and acorns have a tomentose pubescence, the fruits are deeply drowned in a plyus. It grows on calcareous and dry soils in natural conditions, it is difficult to domesticate (almost never occurs). At the same time, it undergoes a haircut and crown design, serves as an excellent background for a higher composition.

Seed care

There are practically no weeds among the oak sprouts, in some cases it is recommended to weed the soil around the sowing.

Watering the seeds is often impossible, in addition, in the fall, when the leaves fall out, watering is finished. Excessive soil moisture during this period threatens the appearance of mold at the base of the trunks.

Using [edit | edit code]

The oak timber and ornamental woods give mainly the named Russian-European species. Of the other oak species, the most important is the Cork Oak ( Quercus suber

), growing in southern France, Spain, Algeria, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. It is remarkable for the unusually thick layer of cork that forms in its bark. This layer is several centimeters thick and is used for the preparation of bottle caps. Removal of this cork layer begins with 10- or 15-year-old trees. The first traffic jam will not work, but after 8-12 years a new one will grow, which will be used. After the second exposure, the third layer is removed after a certain period of time, etc.

Evergreen Stone Oak ( Quercus ilex

), growing in Italy and in the Mediterranean region in general, gives sweet acorns for food. Many oaks in the east and in the warm countries of America, especially in California, differ in the same way; they were widely used for food by the American Indians. In addition, acorns are used to feed livestock. The acorns of oaks growing in Russia are used only for making acorn coffee.

Also under the oak trees, forming a symbiotic relationship with their root system, grow the most expensive mushrooms – truffles.

In music [edit | edit code]

The Magic Flute from the opera by W.A.Mozart is carved from the wood of a thousand-year-old oak. The magic flute then turns into gold.

Acorn coffee drink [edit | edit code]

The powder for the coffee drink can be prepared in advance or used fresh. It should be borne in mind that the pre-prepared powder quickly loses its aroma due to evaporation and destruction of the oils included in it. To prepare a freshly ground coffee drink, specially prepared and prepared acorns are ground in a coffee grinder and brewed like coffee. Ripe, large, green acorns are harvested, hard to the touch, as soft, pressed with a finger – wormy. One of the drying options: put the washed acorns on a baking sheet in one layer and put in a preheated oven. During this time, most acorns will burst from evaporation inside the moisture and acquire a dark brown color. After ten minutes, remove and dry the acorns from the shell. To prepare coffee powder while the acorns are hot, Scroll through a meat grinder and spread the resulting “minced meat” on baking sheets for further drying in the oven with the door open. Store in a dark place, in a hermetically sealed jar, or in an absorbent linen or paper bag.

Oak bark [edit | edit code]

Oak bark contains a lot of tannic acid, and therefore is used for tanning leather. Oak galls, or ink nuts, that is, pathological formations on the leaves (caused by the laying of eggs in the leaves of insects from the genus Cynips [en]

), also contain tannic acid and dye used for tanning, preparation of paints and writing inks. Such nuts are formed on the oak growing in central Russia, and on the Asia Minor and Greek oak –
Quercus infectoria
, etc.
Quercus aegilops grows in the same countries
, fruit saucers of which are also tanned and constitute a subject of significant trade. In fluffy oak (
Quercus pubescens
) from the Eastern Mediterranean and neighboring regions of Asia, they are used for tanning leather, dyeing fabrics and producing ink.

Pests of oak trees

In the summertime, powdery mildew often attacks the tree, the seedlings will not die from this, but they will slowly grow. Fungal disease is treated with sulfur.

The tree can dry out due to insects that eat the bark from the inside, as well as the leaves. There are more than 180 species of oak pests, including caterpillars, butterflies, and mice.

The most famous species [edit | edit code]

Different types of oak are common in temperate and warm countries; in hot countries – in the mountains. In South America, with the exception of its northern tip, there is not one; they are not in Australia either; in Africa only in countries near the Mediterranean. In central Europe there are up to 20 species.

In Russia, only one species is significantly widespread – English Oak ( Quercus robur

L.) with two varieties: the difference between them is that one blooms in the middle or late spring is a
summer oak
, and the other two or three weeks later is a
winter oak
.

Oak reaches in northwestern Russia to Finland, up to 60 ° and even 61 ° north latitude. In the eastern direction, the northern limit of the distribution of oak gradually descends to the south, and, approaching the Ural ridge, drops to 57 ° and somewhat further south. The Urals is the eastern border of the pedunculate oak range.

In western Russia and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, there is a species that is very common in the rest of Europe – Rock Oak ( Quercus petraea

(Matt.) Liebl. ). Both of these oak trees make up the main composition of Russian oak forests and groves, the number and extent of which are decreasing every year.

In the Amur region and in the Far East, another species grows – Mongolian Oak ( Quercus mongolica

Fisch. ex Ledeb. ), less often there is a toothed oak. There is a small relict grove of Mongolian oak in Transbaikalia, not far from the Uryupino frontier post …

In the 1950s-1980s, attempts were made to acclimatize oak in the Altai Territory. If the plantings of the 1950s took place with varying success, the plantings of the 1980s were successful: oaks took root and bear fruit, acorns are spread by birds and chipmunks over considerable distances, where they also take root ..

Why is oak useful?

Since ancient times, oak has been known for its medicinal properties. Bark, leaves, fruits are used.

The bark has an astringent effect, it is used to treat stomach ulcers, gastritis, liver disease. Decoctions of oak bark are used in the treatment of gums, namely, to reduce bleeding. Oak is part of various useful ointments, dry preparations.

Infusion of oak acorns helps with skin diseases, burns, bleeding from the stomach, and food poisoning.

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For diarrhea in children, a decoction of oak bark is used, as well as oak decoction is used for tonsillitis, uterine tone, pharyngitis.

For allergies, it is recommended to take baths with oak extract. With excessive sweating of the feet, foot baths are also done.

The cooled decoction of oak bark helps to effectively eliminate burns, frostbite, and local anesthesia.

general description

Regardless of the type and variety of wood, oak has common distinctive features, which determine the belonging to the genus:

The height of an individual is from 25 to 40 meters;
Sprawling deciduous or evergreen crown;
The leaf in oaks of various varieties is lobed or toothed with pinnate venation;
The bark is rough, with age cracks;
The trunk of juveniles is thin, and of older ones it is noticeably thickened and massive.

Many species bloom at the same time as the leaves open . Female and male flowers are on the same tree:

The females are found in the leaf axils on the tops of young shoots (as in the photo). Perianth in 3 sections, poorly developed;

Male flowers are collected in earrings at the base of the shoots. The perianth is divided into 5-7 sections, up to 12 stamens.

Pollination occurs in the usual ways: by wind or insects.

The oak fruit is an acorn, it ripens in the fall, after wintering, a new tree begins to grow . At the base there is always a hard flattened cap, by which you can always identify belonging to the oak family. The shape of the fruit is elongated or spherical, from gold to brown, depending on the type of plant and its place of growth.

Oak propagates by cuttings, planting acorns, resumption of growth can occur from a live stump.

Botanical classification

Regardless of the variety, the scientific classification of the genus is as follows:

English oak takes the conditional place of the end of the logical chain, in its place you can safely put the remaining types of wood.

Habitat

Oak is common in temperate climates and grows naturally in different countries:

In Russia (Far East, Siberia, Central Asia, Vladikavkaz);
In the countries of western and southern Europe;
In Canada;
USA.

Artificially, different species were transferred to all corners of the world with a climate suitable for oak.

Useful Properties

Many types of oak trees are used in construction, medicine, furniture and cooper industries:

Wood has high strength and resistance to all kinds of influences;
Products are durable;
The bark and wood contain a lot of tannins that help stop blood, tone muscles and cells.

There is a classification of oak wood for the production of finishing products or manufacturing . Sorting is carried out according to many criteria: