Biology:Quercus petraea

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Short description: Species of flowering plant


Quercus petraea
A mature tree
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Quercus
Species:
Q. petraea
Binomial name
Quercus petraea
(Matt.) Liebl.[2]
Subspecies

See text.

Distribution map
Synonyms[2]

Quercus petraea, commonly known as the sessile oak,[3] Welsh oak,[4] Cornish oak,[5] Irish oak or durmast oak,[6] is a species of deciduous oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland,[7] and an unofficial emblem in Wales[8] and Cornwall.[9][10]

Description

The sessile oak is a large deciduous tree up to 40 metres (130 feet) tall,[11] in the white oak section of the genus (Quercus sect. Quercus) and similar to the pedunculate oak (Q. robur), with which it overlaps extensively in range. The leaves are 7–14 centimetres (2 3⁄4–5 1⁄2 inches) long and 4–8 cm (1 1⁄2–3 in) broad, evenly lobed with five to six lobes on each side and a 1 cm-long (1⁄2 in) petiole. The male flowers are grouped into catkins, produced in the spring. The fruit is an acorn 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1 1⁄4 in) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) broad, which matures in about six months.

  • Old sacred oak (zapis) in Divljana, Serbia
    Old sacred oak (zapis) in Divljana, Serbia
  • Shoot with leaves and acorn
    Shoot with leaves and acorn
  • An inosculated tree
    An inosculated tree
  • A sessile oak in a forest
    A sessile oak in a forest

Comparison with pedunculate oak

Significant botanical differences from pedunculate oak (Q. robur) include the stalked leaves, and the stalkless (sessile) acorns from which one of its common names is derived. (With the pedunculate oak, it is the acorns which are pedunculate, i.e. on stalks, while the leaves are not.) It occurs in upland areas of altitudes over 300 m (984 ft) with higher rainfall and shallow, acidic, sandy soils. Its specific epithet petraea means "of rocky places".[12] Q. robur, on the other hand, prefers deeper, richer soils at lower altitude. Fertile hybrids with Quercus robur named Quercus × rosacea are found wherever the two parent species occur and share or are intermediate in characters between the parents.

Taxonomy

Quercus petraea was first described by Heinrich Gottfried von Mattuschka in 1777 as a variety of Quercus robur, Quercus robur var. petraea. It was raised to a full species by Franz Kaspar Lieblein in 1784.[13]

Subspecies

As of March 2023, Plants of the World Online accepted five subspecies:[13]

  • Quercus petraea subsp. austrotyrrhenica Brullo, Guarino & Siracusa
  • Quercus petraea subsp. huguetiana Franco & G.López
  • Quercus petraea subsp. petraea
  • Quercus petraea subsp. pinnatiloba (K.Koch) Menitsky
  • Quercus petraea subsp. polycarpa (Schur) Soó

Diseases and pests

Uses

Sessile oak is one of the most important species in Europe both economically and ecologically. Oak timber is traditionally used for building, ships and furniture. Today the best woods are used for quality cabinetmaking, veneers and barrel staves.[15] Rougher material is used for fence construction, roof beams and specialist building work. The wood also has antimicrobial properties.[16][17] It is also a good fuel wood. During autumns with good acorn crops (the mast years), animals are traditionally grazed under the trees to fatten them.[18]

Notable individual trees

Pontfadog Oak

Known as "Wales's national tree", the Pontfadog Oak was a sessile oak considered to be the oldest oak tree in the UK. Located near Chirk in North Wales, its girth was measured as over 16 metres (53 ft) in 1881 and it was understood to be over 1,200 years old, an age that was due to regular pollarding for much of its life. The hollow trunk had a girth of 12.9 m (42 ft 5 in).[19]

The tree died in April 2013 when it blew down in high winds.[20] However, the Crown Estate propagated a sapling from the original tree and planted it in Windsor Great Park.[21] A further five saplings have been cloned from the Pontfadog Oak, three of which will be planted at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, with the other two going to sites near Pontfadog; one at Chirk Castle and the other at Erddig, as part of a woodland memorial to those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

Fuck Tree

The Fuck Tree is a sessile oak tree located in Hampstead Heath, north London. The tree is located in an established gay cruising area and is famous for its slender trunk which facilitates gay sex. Hampstead Heath has been used for gay cruising since the Victorian era, with the Fuck Tree being the most famous tree in the heath.[23] The Fuck Tree has gained recognition in LGBTQ+ art and culture, including the 2017 art film Fuck Tree by Liz Rosenfeld[24] and the 2023 art exhibition Soft Ground at the Gasworks Gallery by Trevor Yeung.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gorener, V.; Khela, S.; Barstow, M. (2017). "Quercus petraea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62539A3116237.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62539/3116237. Retrieved 19 November 2021. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Quercus petraea". The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew). http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Quercus+petraea. Retrieved 14 Sep 2016. 
  3. ↑ (xls) BSBI List 2007, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, https://bsbi.org/download/3542/, retrieved 14 Sep 2016 
  4. ↑ Acton, Jules (2024). "Welsh+oak"&pg=PT11 Oaklore: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees (1st ed.). La Vergne: Greystone Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-77164-967-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=rED9EAAAQBAJ&dq="Welsh+oak"&pg=PT11. Retrieved 3 March 2025. 
  5. ↑ "Sessile oak". http://www.arkive.org/sessile-oak/quercus-petraea/. 
  6. ↑ {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Quercus petraea | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 14 Sep 2016 }}
  7. ↑ Mitchell, Alan (1974). "Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe (Collins Field Guide)", HarperCollins Distribution Services, New York. ISBN 0002120356.
  8. ↑ "Tree trail with worldwide flavour", BBC News, 23 July 2004
  9. ↑ Minahan, James (2009). The complete guide to national symbols and emblems. 1. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-34496-1. 
  10. ↑ West Briton, September 01, 2011, Will native trees thrive in the future?
  11. ↑ Annighöfer, Peter; Beckschäfer, Philip; Vor, Torsten; Ammer, Christian (2015). Zang, RunGuo. ed. "Regeneration patterns of European oak species (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Quercus robur L.) in dependence of environment and neighborhood.". PLOS ONE 10 (8): e0134935. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134935. PMID 26266803. Bibcode: 2015PLoSO..1034935A. 
  12. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. pp. 224. ISBN 978-1-84533-731-5. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl..". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:359961-1. 
  14. ↑ Bullock, J.A. 1992. Host Plants of British Beetles: A List of Recorded Associations – Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES) publication volume 11a: A supplement to A Coleopterist's Handbook.
  15. ↑ Munir, Muhammad Tanveer; Pailhories, Hélène; Eveillard, Matthieu; Irle, Mark; Aviat, Florence; Federighi, Michel; Belloncle, Christophe (24 August 2020). "Experimental Parameters Influence the Observed Antimicrobial Response of Oak Wood (Quercus petraea)" (in en). Antibiotics 9 (9): 535. doi:10.3390/antibiotics9090535. PMID 32847132. 
  16. ↑ Munir, Muhammad; Aviat, Florence; Lepelletier, Didier; Pape, Patrice Le; Dubreil, Laurence; Irle, Mark; Federighi, Michel; Belloncle, Christophe et al. (1 October 2020). "Wood materials for limiting the bacterial reservoir on surfaces in hospitals: would it be worthwhile to go further?". Future Microbiology 15 (15): 1431–1437. doi:10.2217/fmb-2019-0339. PMID 33156723. 
  17. ↑ Chen, Ju-Chi; Munir, Muhammad Tanveer; Aviat, Florence; Lepelletier, Didier; Le Pape, Patrice; Dubreil, Laurence; Irle, Mark; Federighi, Michel et al. (13 November 2020). "Survival of Bacterial Strains on Wood (Quercus petraea) Compared to Polycarbonate, Aluminum and Stainless Steel" (in en). Antibiotics 9 (11): 804. doi:10.3390/antibiotics9110804. PMID 33202723. 
  18. ↑ Ducousso, A.; Bordacs, S. (2004), Pedunculate and sessile oaks – Quercus robur/Quercus petraea: Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use, European Forest Genetic Resources Programme, p. 6, http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1038_Technical_guidelines_for_genetic_conservation_and_use_for_Pedunculate_and_sessile_oaks__Quercus_robur__and__Quercus_petraea_.pdf 
  19. ↑ Vidal, John (28 April 2013). "The Pontfadog oak was the oldest of the old, revered, loved ... and now mourned". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/28/pontfadog-oak-revered-loved-mourned. 
  20. ↑ "Pontfadog Oak: 1,200-year-old tree toppled by winds". BBC News Online. 18 April 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22202815. 
  21. ↑ "One of the world's largest and oldest oak trees returns to Chirk Castle". https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/one-of-the-worlds-largest-and-oldest-oak-trees-returns-to-chirk-castle. 
  22. ↑ Morris, Steven. "North Wales' ancient felled Pontfadog oak returns in five cloned saplings". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/06/pontfadog-oak-returns-five-cloned-saplings-north-wales-ceiriog-valley. 
  23. ↑ "Hampstead Heath at war over tree used in gay cruising". The Daily Telegraph. 9 March 2025. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/09/hampstead-heath-dog-walkers-cruising-homophobic-campaign/. 
  24. ↑ "FUCK TREE". Lux. https://lux.org.uk/work/fuck-tree/. 
  25. ↑ Jhala, Kabir (7 December 2023). "Hampstead Heath's notorious gay cruising spot recreated for London exhibition". The Art Newspaper. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/12/07/hampstead-heaths-notorious-gay-cruising-spot-recreated-for-london-exhibition. 

Wikidata ☰ Q158608 entry Template:National symbols of Wales



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