Quercus aucheri
| Quercus aucheri | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 16' |
| Width: | 13' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Quercus aucheri (common name: boz-pirnal oak)
Propagation: Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[1]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.
Cultivation: Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[2][1]. Plants are lime tolerant[3]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[4]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[4].
Prefers warmer summers than are usually experienced in Britain, but trees usually grow well in Britain[4]. The seed takes two years to ripen but is seldom produced in this country[1].
This species is closely related to Q. coccifera and considered to be no more than a synonym of that species by some authorities[1].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[4].
Many species in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].
Intolerant of root disturbance, trees should be planted in their permanent positions whilst young[1].
Range: S. Europe - Mediterranean around Greece.
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked. A sweet flavour[4]. The seed is about 2cm long and 1.5cm wide[4]. It is low in tannin and needs little if any leaching. Any bitter tannins can be leached out by thoroughly washing the dried and ground up seed in water, though many minerals will also be lost. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The seed can be roasted and then eaten, its taste is something like a cross between sunflower seeds and popcorn[5].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
Medicinal: Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[6].
Usage: The following uses are for the closely related Q. coccifera, they should also be applicable here[K].
A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[7].
Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[6].
The bark is rich in tannin[8].
A black dye can be obtained from the bark[9] and also from the seeds[8].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in medium and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.