Oak (wood): description. How much oak grows

Oak is a kind of plant that belongs to the beech family. There are two varieties: a tree and a bush. Oak combines over 500 breeds. The habitat of the tree is represented by the Northern Hemisphere. The plant loves a temperate climate, therefore in the southern part of the planet it lives only on tropical highlands. The leaves and fruits are well recognizable, partially edible and healthy.

Cycle of maturation

Oak is a tree that belongs to the evergreen species of plants. His crown may not change for several years. Nevertheless, there are rocks where the leaves fall off with the onset of the first frosts. Inflorescences of the tree are same sex, small. It is worth noting that the crown cover during the pollination is poorly developed. Strong flowers only female, male earrings can fall off at the slightest blow of the wind.

It is noteworthy that the oak tree is a tree for which pollinating scales of two sexes are necessary. Ripening of the fetus occurs in the roller, which is a small saucer. Subsequently, it grows an acorn. Each oak breed has different fruits and forms. In some species acorns are elongated, in the second - round and small, in others - walnut. It is allowed to cross breeds, but this is likely to lead to a marked decrease in yield. The tree grows extremely slowly, but it can live hundreds of years. The root system is formed during the first year, then it constantly develops. Interestingly, after the oak has been cut after a short time, powerful shoots abundantly sprout from the stump. Oak is a tree that is not too demanding to the soil, so the soil can be any. Natural reproduction occurs with acorns. The height of the oak varies up to 40-45 meters. The volume of the crown depends on the breed and the climate.

Description of the petioled oak

This kind of plant is usually considered ordinary, as it is the most common in the European part of the planet. The oak from the acorn sprouts in just six months. Then, over 20 years, its trunk, crown and roots are formed. The oldest trees reach a height of 50 meters. The trunk and branches are thick, powerful, capable of withstanding even the gust of wind. Under moderate conditions and developed root system, petiolate oaks can live up to 1000 years.

The bark is dark brown, thick. The leaves are oblong, grow in bundles, have from 3 to 7 blunt blades with a slight denticle. Blossom such trees in late spring. Common oak trees are very fond of the sun, as it is a heat-resistant plant. Acorns in length to 3.5 cm.

Features of the furry oak

Most often representatives of this breed are found in Transcaucasia, Crimea, as well as in Asia Minor and southern Europe. The trees reach a height of only 8-10 meters. Distinguished by their durability and heat resistance.

I must say, such oak breeds are much inferior to many other species in height. But they have a very tortuous thick trunk with spreading branches. Due to its small size and wide crown, the plant often from afar resembles a large shrub. The length of the leaves sometimes reaches 10 cm. They are variable in shape, grow in pairs, blades slightly pointed, dark green. It is interesting that the scales surrounding the acorn are very fluffy and soft.

Structure of the stone oak

The native land of the tree is the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. At the moment, they are actively cultivated in North Africa and Europe. This is an evergreen plant, whose height is 22-25 meters. The trunk is gray, smooth. The crone is sprawling, dense. The leaves are small in themselves, they are changeable in shape, shiny, bright green, leathery. Fruits ripen only in the second year.

Oak grows rapidly, despite the climate. It is suitable for frosts up to -20 degrees and heat up to +40. Shade-tolerant, drought-resistant. It is called rock because the trees predominantly grow on rocks, in the mountainous terrain.

Distinctive features of red oak

Most often meets on the banks of rivers. Does not like stagnant water in the soil. Homeland of red oak is considered North America, in particular, Canada. In height, such trees reach 25 meters. Outwardly the trunk is slender, smooth. The gray bark becomes dark and crackles over time. Crown of oak is hipped, green with yellowish overflows closer to the ground. The leaves are large, sometimes their diameter reaches 25 cm. They have sharpened lobes. Fall red and fall. Fruits are small, globular, the size is no more than 2 cm. Ripe acorns are red, slightly rendered brown. Ripen by the end of autumn, the first year of poor harvest. Stable fruitfulness - up to 20 years.

The tree is frost-resistant, quietly resists strong wind and bright sun.

Interesting facts about white oak

The native land of the plant is the eastern coast of North America. Large plantations are noted in forests with limestone-rich soil. Easily get along with other breeds of oaks. It is important that the area is not more than a kilometer above sea level. White oaks can not endure strong frosts.

The height of an adult tree is about 30 meters. The crown is powerful, hipped, formed by spreading branches. The color of the bark is gray. The old trees almost do not crack, unlike the petiolate. The leaves are oval, large (up to 22 cm), have up to 9 lobes. During blossoming, blush, in the summer - green, closer to winter, they become purple and fall off.

The length of the acorn is up to 2.5 cm. The scales are hardly covered with scales, therefore they often fall off the tree from strong gusts of wind.

Description of large oak oak

These trees are a North American species. Germinate to a height of 30 meters. The trunk is thick, brown in color, strongly cracked after several years from the moment of emergence. The spherical shape of the crown is reached by powerful sprawling branches. Foliage oblong, lobate, has a dark green color, shines in the sun and after rain. In autumn, the whole crown falls, sometimes along with thin branches. It should be noted that the diameter of the leaves is 25 cm. The acorns are large, often reach a length of 5 cm. They are oval in shape, covered with scales one third.

A large-bodied oak grows at an average speed. Seeds are very hygrophilous and frost-resistant. Because of this, the breed is considered decorative.

Protected chestnut oak

It is widely distributed in Armenia, Iran and the north of the Caucasus. Cultivation does not lend itself. Most of the plantations are wild. In the middle of the 20th century, these trees were listed in the Red Book, so their felling is strictly prohibited. In the Hyrkansky Reserve, they are followed by specially trained people.

Interestingly, the chestnut-oak tree is a mixture of several wild species that grow mainly on the crests of ridges. Very photophilous, moderately resistant to frost, but does not tolerate drought. When the leaves of the oak blossom , the tree looks like a huge chestnut, 30 meters high. The trunk is quite slim and thin, branches spreading. Large chestnut-shaped leaves further underscore the grandeur of the crown-shaped crown. Acorns swell up to 3 cm in length.

Oak bog (pyramidal)

The southern regions of Canada are considered to be the native land of the breed. In height, the tree reaches about 25 meters. Krone from a distance resembles a pyramid. It should be noted that the trunk almost merges with the leaves. The fact is that the bark of the marsh oak is completely green with an admixture of brown oak. The leaves are medium, have deep notches and teeth. The color of the crown is green, but by autumn it turns purple. Fruits are spherical, sessile, about 1.5 cm in diameter.

Oak seeds like water, as well as adult trees. For additional moisture, the root system goes deep into the earth. The habitat of the breed is marshland. The pyramidal oak grows quickly, with prolonged frosts it dies. Often, large wild plantations can be found on the shores of lakes and reservoirs.

Cultivation and reproduction

Oak seedlings of petiolate and large-fruited are very demanding for moisture and mineral wealth of the soil. That is why they quickly rise in floodplains of rivers and deep forest loam. It is not recommended to sow oak seedlings in podzol soil. In such soil, the shoots will quickly die, since the roots can not be fixed due to the high acidity of the humus.

It is desirable to sow acorns late in the autumn. Fruits must be fresh. If you allow the slightest drying of the acorns, then the germination will decrease several times. The depth of planting is from 5 to 8 cm. Before growing an oak, it is important to know that the mail when sowing should be fertilized. To protect the sprouts from pests, it is necessary to cover them with lapnics. It is also important to maintain a stable soil temperature (at least +2 degrees). Many gardeners are wondering how to grow an oak tree if other trees do not give acorns due to circumstances. For it, you can use the multiplication procedure. Green cuttings should be rooted in the first half of the summer. It will not be superfluous to use special heteroauxins as a fertilizer. In addition, you need to know that cuttings of young trees sprout much faster and easier than old ones (over 20 years).

Features of trimming oaks

Representatives of this family of trees like careful care, despite the fact that they are considered wild. Especially at crop yields the procedure of pruning. Oak is a tree with monopodial branching. Consequently, the main stem must continue to grow until the end of plant life. In this case, the top should not be limited in height. It always dominates the other shoots.

Pruning should be done every few years. The optimal spring removal period will be early spring or late winter. It is important that the air temperature is at least -5 degrees. Otherwise, frostbite will appear at the cutting points. By summer these branches will dry up to the ground. If there are a lot of them, then the whole tree will die. Only new shoots, growths and diseased branches should be removed.

Useful and harmful properties of oak

For medical purposes, bark and young branches of a tree, as well as acorns, and rarely leaves, are often used. In the upper layers of the oak trunk contains a lot of resin, acids, sugar and pectin. The composition of fruits includes such useful substances as organic oil, proteins, starch. In young leaves there are tannin components, dyes and groups of pentosans. Thanks to this, effective anti-inflammatory drugs are made of wood and fruits. The spasmolytic properties of oak are also well known. For example, the tree bark effectively helps with colitis, intestinal bleeding, gastritis, spleen and liver disease. Tinctures of oak increase mental and physical activity, calm the central nervous system, improve the patency of the vascular system.

On the other hand, preparations based on this plant are contraindicated for children and patients suffering from constipation, hemorrhoids, nausea, stomach ulcers.

Resource usage

Oaks in most cases are used in construction and cooking, as well as in light industry. Cork and furniture made from sawdust. Wood is optimally suited for surface ships, fortifications, machine building, barrels. The boards do not swell, burn badly, are strong, hard and dense.

When the leaves of the oak are blossoming and the acorns ripen, the time of the culinary specialists comes. In North America, the fruit of the tree is often added to coffee, sweets and the most delicious dishes. In Asia, acorns are fried with spices.