English Oak Quercus robur
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus ROH-bur
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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English Oak is an Asian and European native tree with a short wide sturdy trunk and a broad rounded spreading crown. It was brought to this country in the 1600s from Europe and has been an important lumber tree for furniture and shipbuilding. It's an excellent specimen tree for very large yards, parks and public areas. It prefers average well-drained soils in full sun but adapts to a wide range of soil types and conditions. It can take 20-30 years to bear acorns. In the wild, it is found in northern USA and Canada. Can be problematic in humid climates. Plant if full sun with good airflow to help reduce the problem.
English oak is considered to be a low-maintenance tree with few problems but powdery mildew can be significant in humid areas. Other cultivars may be more resistant to powdery mildew.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Attention'
Columnar tree with better mildew resistance
'Fastigiata'
- 'Variegata'
Variegated leaves
Upright, columnar deciduous tree that makes a striking landscape specimen - 'Attention'
- 'Attention', 'Fastigiata', 'Variegata'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Attention'
Columnar tree with better mildew resistance
'Fastigiata'
- 'Variegata'
Variegated leaves
Upright, columnar deciduous tree that makes a striking landscape specimen - 'Attention'
- 'Attention', 'Fastigiata', 'Variegata'
- Tags:
-
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- robur
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- High-quality wood for furniture, tool making and shipbuilding. Acorns were roasted to make an inferior coffee substitute. Used in the leather tanning process.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Asia, Europe
- 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. Green oak moth ( Tortrix viridana ) feeds on oak leaves in its caterpillar form and then rolls itself up in a leaf to pupate. The caterpillar is prey to four speices of ichneumon wasps. Gall wasps also lay their young inside leaves causing the plant to create oak apples or galls. Acorns are eaten by many birds and mammals which in turn attract birds of prey like owls and hawks. Woodpeckers feed on insects in the bark.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- 0.8 to 1.2-inch elongated egg-shaped acorns on a long stalk with the caps covering 1/3 of the nut.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Pollen flowers in drooping, elongated clusters, female flowers on short spikes.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 2" -5" alternate, simple leaves with 3 to 7 pairs of blunt lobes. Leaves are dark green in color on the upper surface and bluish-green underneath. The stalk is very short. Non-showy fall color and leaves may persist into winter.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Black
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Description:
- Dark gray to black bark is ridged and furrowed on mature trees.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Terminal:
- Cluster of terminal buds
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Twigs are brown and glabrous.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Meadow
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Predatory Insects
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination if young leaves or raw acorns eaten.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
- Leaves
