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Quercus robur - English Oak
Also known as the pedunculate oak, a mature English oak is a magnificent sight; some grow to a spread of 45 metres and are often a little taller than their spread. See from a distance, a key identifying feature is the very short trunk, that branches close to the ground- often so low that you have to duck down to get close to the trunk.
The leaves of the English oak have no stalks, while its acorns are stalked.
Oaks provide much-favoured habitat for birds, squirrels and a wide range of insects, spiders and other tiny creatures. These slow-growing trees have wide root systems and are good at resisting riverbank erosion. The less common sessile oak has stalked leaves but its acorns have no stalks.
Oak apples are galls caused by the tiny larvae of the gall wasp, Andricus kollari. The insect lives within the oak apple and bores a hole to the outside world when it is fully mature. Green when young, the oak apples turn brown and become very hard as they dry out during the summer months. |
