Quercus petraea
| Quercus petraea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 131' |
| Width: | 82' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Quercus petraea (common name: sessile 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[1]. Dislikes heavy clay[2]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[3]. Found mainly on acid soils in the wild. Thrives in well drained soils but is also tolerant of periodic flooding[4]. Tolerates exposure and strong winds if these are not salt-laden[4].
A very important timber tree in Britain, it is also a food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterfly[5], there are 284 insect species associated with this tree[6]. Trees were often coppiced or pollarded in the past for their wood[4], though this is best done on a long rotation of perhaps 50 years.
The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed ripening in its first year[3][7].
Older trees have a thick corky bark and this can protect them from forest fires, young trees will often regenerate from the base if cut down or killed back by a fire[4].
Trees transplant badly unless moved regularly[1].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[3].
Immune to attacks by the Tortix moth[8]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[9][3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, S.W. Russia and Greece.
Habitat: Woods, especially on acid soils and in the western part of Britain, where it is often dominant[10].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[11][12][13][14]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. 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 roasted seed is a coffee substitute[15][16].
An edible gum is obtained from the bark[17].
Medicinal: The oak tree has a long history of medicinal use. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, decongestant, haemostatic and tonic[18][19][20][14][15][21]. The bark is the part of the plant that is most commonly used[18], though other parts such as the galls, seeds and seed cups are also sometimes used[19]. A decoction of the bark is useful in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, haemorrhages etc[18]. Externally, it is used to bathe wounds, skin eruptions, sweaty feet, piles etc[20]. It is also used as a vaginal douche for genital inflammations and discharge, and also as a wash for throat and mouth infections[20]. The bark is harvested from branches 5 - 12 years old, and is dried for later use[20].
Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[18].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Despondency', 'Despair, but never ceasing effort'[22].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the bark. It is used in the treatment of disorders of the spleen and gall bladder[20].
Usage: A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[23][24].
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[18].
The bark is an ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator[25]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. The bark is very rich in calcium[14].
An ink is made from the oak galls, mixed with salts of iron[19][26].
The wood is a source of tar, quaiacol, acetic acid, creosote and tannin[27]. Tannin is extracted commercially from the bark and is also found in the leaves[28].
Wood - hard, tough, durable even under water. It is highly valued for furniture, construction etc[18][14][26]. It is also a good fuel and charcoal[29][16]. Trees can be coppiced to provide material for basket making, fuel, construction etc[30].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in medium and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: Q. sessiliflora. Q. sessilis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Bruce, Maye. Commonsense Compost Making. Faber, 1977.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 15th edition. 1982.
- ↑ Rottsieper, E. Vegetable Tannins. The Forestal Land, 1946.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.
- ↑ Wright, Dorothy. Complete Book of Baskets and Basketry. David and Charles, 1977.