Japanese Emperor Oak Quercus dentata
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus den-TAY-tuh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Daimyo Oak is a non-native oak with large dramatic leaves and yellow fall color. The leaves can be up to a foot long and 7 inches wide and are the largest of the oak trees. They tend to persist on the tree into winter. It is not naturalized in the US but grows in some botanical gardens and can be difficult to find in nurseries. It prefers acidic, moist, loamy soil and full sun.
Use this tree as a shade tree in large yards, parks and playgrounds.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Numerous insect and disease pests, but the damage is rarely significant. Susceptible to oak wilt, anthracnose, cankers, leaf spots, powdery mildew, and oak leaf blister. Potential pests include scales, oak skeletonizers, leaf miners, aphids, galls, orangestriped oakworm, buck moth, whitemarked tussock moth, and lace bugs.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and insects.
It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), Edward's hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), White-m hairstreak (Parrhasius malbum), Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), and Juvenalis duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis).
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- "Carl Ferris Miller'
Mature height 26 feet - 'Pinnatifida'
Foliage looks fernlike as its leaves are deeply divided into narrow lobes
- "Carl Ferris Miller'
- "Carl Ferris Miller', 'Pinnatifida'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- "Carl Ferris Miller'
Mature height 26 feet - 'Pinnatifida'
Foliage looks fernlike as its leaves are deeply divided into narrow lobes
- "Carl Ferris Miller'
- "Carl Ferris Miller', 'Pinnatifida'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- dentata
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Russian Far East, Japan, Korea , Mongolia, China, Taiwan
- Wildlife Value:
- Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida. This tree is mildly resistant to damage by deer. Various birds and mammals eat the acorns.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Edibility:
- Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Open
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The 1/2 to 3/4 inch oval acorns grow in clusters, are stemless and have a brown hairy cap with scales covering 1/2 to 1/3 of the nut.
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Flowers:
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Pollen flowers in drooping, elongated clusters. Small female flowers at the end of new shoots.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Sinuate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are up to a foot long and 8 inches across with wavy margins and shallow lobes at the terminus. The leaf base is auriculated or having several ear-like appendages. Undersides are downy. The stems are 1/2 inch, curved and hairy.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Description:
- The bark is thick, corky and strongly furrowed
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Bud Terminal:
- Cluster of terminal buds
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Mature stems are brown with hairs
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Meadow
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Abdominal pain, constipation then diarrhea (occasionally bloody), depression, frequent urination, discolored urine, jaundice; acorns can obstruct the digestive tract
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
- Leaves
