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 Acorns of Quercus kerrii (a species in Quercus subgenus Cyclobalanopsis) | ||||||||||||
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The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of tree in the genus Quercus. The genus is native to the northern hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cold latitudes to tropical Asia and America. The fruits of oaks are called acorns. The "live oaks - oaks with evergreen leaves - are not a distinct group, instead with their members scattered among the sections below.
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2 Uses 3 Historical Note on Classification 4 External links |
Classification
The genus is divided into two subgenera and a number of sections:
List of Quercus species
Uses
Oaks are hardwood trees, the wood commonly used in furniture and flooring. The bark of Quercus suber, or Cork oak, is used to produce wine stoppers (corks). This species grows in the Mediterranean Sea region, with Portugal, Spain, Algeria and Morocco producing most of the world's supply. Some European and American oak species are used to make barrels where wine and other spirits are aged; the barrels contribute to the taste.
Of the North American oaks, the most prized of the red oak group for lumber, all of which is marketed as red oak regardless of the species of origin, is that of the northern red oak, Quercus rubra (a.k.a. Q. borealis). The standard for the lumber of the white oak group, all of which is marketed as white oak, is the white oak, Quercus alba. White oak is often used for the construction of barrels for aging wine.
Oak acorns require stratification to stimulate sprouting. Most "white" oaks need immediate stratification; indeed, species such as the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) will sprout a root upon falling and must have a suitable substrate for immediate rooting. On the other hand, many "red" oak acorns may be stratified for up to two years before sprouting.
Linnaeus described only five species of oak from eastern North America, based on general leaf form. These were White oak, Q. alba, Chestnut oak, Q. prinus, Red oak, Q. rubra, Willow oak, Q. phellos, and Water oak, Q. nigra. Because he was dealing with confusing leaf forms, the Q. prinus and Q. rubra specimens actually included mixed foliage of more than one species. For that reason, some taxonomists in the past proposed different names for these two species (Q. montana and Q. borealis, respectively) but the original Linnaean names have now been lectotypified with only the specimens in Linnaeus' herbarium that refer to the species the names are applied to now.
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See also; Trees of Britain, Trees of the world, Royal Oak (tree)Historical Note on Classification
Large Oak Tree
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|align=center|bark of Quercus robur
|align=center|timber of Quercus robur
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