Pedunculate oak is a large, long-lived deciduous tree native to Europe and western Asia, widely planted in temperate regions. It grows best in deep, moist, near-neutral soil in open, sunny sites.
Family
Fagaceae (Beech & oak family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water young trees regularly through their first summers; established trees need little supplementary water.
Soil
Deep, moist, fertile loam with near-neutral pH; tolerates heavy clay.
Temperature
Hardy to around -25 °C; protect young trees from late frosts.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Mildly toxic: Raw acorns and bark contain tannins that can cause stomach upset if eaten in quantity; the leaves and bark are also tannin-rich.
Native range
Europe to Iran
Climate
temperate
About
Quercus robur, pedunculate oak, European oak, or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions. It grows on soils of near neutral acidity in the lowlands and is notable for its value to natural ecosystems, supporting a diversity of herbivorous insects, acorn eating mammals and birds, and fungi.
The common name pedunculate oak refers to the acorns being borne on a peduncule, or stalk.
Where it grows
The species is native to most of Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions.
Uses
Quercus robur is planted for forestry, and produces a long-lasting and durable heartwood, much in demand for interior and furniture work. The wood is identified by a close examination of a cross-section perpendicular to fibres. The wood is characterised by its distinct (often wide) dark and light brown growth rings. The earlywood displays a vast number of large vessels (around 0.5 mm in diameter). There are rays of thin (about 0.1 mm) yellow or light-brown lines running across the growth rings. The timber is around 720 kg per cubic meter in density.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Quercus robur by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.