🌱 Oak trees don’t produce acorns until they are 50 years old🌱
Oak Tree
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 600 extant species of oaks.
The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
🌱 Oak trees don’t produce acorns until they are 50 years old🌱
🌱 Oak trees don’t produce acorns until they are 50 years old🌱
Oak tress begin to produce acorns in late September, and they continue to produce them until December. Green acorns begin forming at the tips of branches in groups of three to five. When the acorns mature, they turn dark brown.
An acorn is a seed encased in a shell. The lower end of the acorn contains the root and stem, and the rest of the acorn is composed of tissue filled with nutrients. Many species of birds and animals eat acorns, and acorns are the main food source for some of these animals. There are 58 species of oaks that produce acorns in the United States. Some produce small acorns, while others produce much larger ones. A single oak tree is capable of producing thousands of acorns in a single year
The fruit is a nut called an acorn, borne in a cup-like structure. Production of acorns starts at the age of 20 to 50 years. Each acorn contains one seed (rarely two or three) and takes 6–24 months to mature, depending on their species.
One oak produces more than 2000 acorns every year, but only one in 10 000 acorns will manage to develop into oak tree.
Where Does an Oak Tree Come From?
Oak trees come from acorns. Acorns are nuts produced by oak trees that drop to the ground in early autumn. Although not generally eaten by modern humans, acorns are beloved fare of squirrels and chipmunks.
Oak trees produce massive amounts of acorns to make up for the ones that scavenging creatures eat. The trees generally don't begin producing acorns until they are 50 years old, and acorn production starts to slow down when a tree hits the century mark.
Once an acorn sprouts, it has a long, slow road to becoming an fully fledged oak tree. The seedlings grow an average of 1 to 2 feet per year. Many mature trees reach heights upwards of 150 feet.
The usual lifespan of an oak is about 200 years, but some live over 1,000 years.
The Pechanga Great Oak Tree, oldest oak tree in the United States, possibly in the world. It is estimated to be up to 2,000 years old.
Oak trees grow to an average height of about 15 to 21 meters (50 to 70 feet) and have a spread of as much as 15 meters (50 feet) from branch to branch when fully grown.
The white oak is the tallest oak species. The tallest known white oak is 44 meters (144 feet) tall. It is not unusual for a white oak tree to be as wide as it is tall.
Oaks have spirally arranged leaves, with lobate margins in many species; some have serrated leaves or entire leaf with smooth margins.
In spring, a single oak tree produces both male flowers (in the form of catkins) and small coon flowers(female flowers). Oak trees have male flowers on one part of their branch, and female flowers on another part of the same branch.
North America contains the largest number of oak species, with approximately 90 occurring in the United States, while Mexico has 160 species of which 109 are endemic. The second greatest center of oak diversity is China, which contains approximately 100 species.
Oak wood has great strength and hardness. The wood is very resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It is used in the manufacture of ships, furniture, floorings and Yamaha drums.
Also barrels in which wines, sherry, and spirits such as brandy, Irish whiskey, Scotch whisky and Bourbon whiskey are aged are made from European and American oak. Oak barrels contribute to the color, taste, and aroma of the contents, imparting a desirable oaky vanillin flavour to these drinks. The use of oak in wine can add many different dimensions to wine based on the type and style of the oak.
A number of kinds of truffles, including the two well known varieties, the black Périgord truffle and the white Piedmont truffle, have symbiotic relationships with oak trees.
The oak is a common symbol of strength and endurance and has been chosen as the national tree of many countries. Oak is national tree of USA, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus, England, Estonia, France, Moldova, Romania, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Wales and Bulgaria.
In Greek mythology, the oak is the tree sacred to Zeus, king of the gods.
In the Bible, the oak tree at Shechem is the site where Jacob buries the foreign gods of his people (Gen. 35:4). In addition, Joshua erects a stone under an oak tree as the first covenant of the Lord (Josh. 24.25–7). In Isaiah 61, the prophet refers to the Israelites as “Oaks of Righteousness.” Absalom’s long hair (2 Samuel 18:9) gets caught in an oak tree, and allows Joab to kill him.
The badnjak is central tradition in Serbian Orthodox Church Christmas celebration where young and straight oak, is ceremonially felled early on the morning of Christmas Eve. The badnjak is brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve.
In Republican Rome a crown of oak leaves was given to those who had saved a life of a citizen in battle; it was called the “civic oak”
The Emancipation Oak is designated one of the 10 Great Trees of the World by the National Geographic Society and is part of the National Historic Landmark district of Hampton University.
Although it is rarely reached, the symbol of an 80th wedding anniversary is oak.
Oaks are more likely to be struck by lightning than other trees. This enhances their significance for Druids who seek ‘arwen’ or inspiration which they believe can come through lightning. They call this ‘courting the flash’.
In Britain, an oak tree image is engraved in a six pence coin. It is one of the oldest Britain’s coins.
Oak branches are displayed on some German coins, both of the former Deutsche Mark and the current Euro currency.
The Royal Oak is the third most common pub name in Britain.
Can You Grow Your Own Oak Tree?
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