The English oak, also known as the pedunculate oak, is a large, long-lived deciduous tree native to most of Europe, deeply woven into British cultural identity as one of the country's most iconic native trees. It typically grows a broad, spreading crown and can live for many centuries, with some individual trees in Britain and elsewhere estimated to be over a thousand years old, often becoming important habitats in their own right, supporting hundreds of species of insects, fungi, lichens and birds. Its acorns, which grow on distinctive long stalks that give the tree its alternate name, are an important food source for a wide range of woodland wildlife, including squirrels, deer and jays, the last of which inadvertently helps plant new oaks by burying acorns for later use and forgetting many of them. Historically prized for its strong, durable timber, English oak was the primary shipbuilding material for the British Royal Navy for centuries, and the tree remains a widely recognized national symbol.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 2 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 3 Living or Extinct Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe crown is spreading and unevenly domed with massive lower branches, and the bark is greyish-brown and closely grooved, with vertical plates. 1 Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source Plants For A Future: Quercus robur
In Ecosystem
Source Wikidata: Greylag Goose
Additional Source Danube Delta (Wikipedia)Article text
In the Other Atlases
Found In
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Quercus robur (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening sentence
Quercus robur, pedunculate oak, European oak, or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae.
Description section, crown and bark sentence
The bark is greyish-brown and closely grooved, with vertical plates.
Infobox: status
LC
View the Source 2. Quercus robur (Wikipedia)
- a species of flowering plant, a large tree
- a large tree, native to Europe and western Asia
View the Source3. Plants For A Future: Quercus robur
Plants For A FutureMedicinal Uses
The oak tree has a long history of medicinal use.
In Biome: Temperate Forest, Habitats
Often the dominant woodland tree, especially on clay soils and in the eastern half of Britain, but avoiding acid peat and shallow limestone soils
View the Source 4. GBIF Species API
5. NatureServe Explorer: Quercus robur
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "GNR"
6. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Fagales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12383Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12383
"cites_listing":"III/NC","eu_listing":"C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Fagales","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: English Oak
Wikidata Q165145, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Quercus
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12819Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12819
"cites_listing":"III/NC","eu_listing":"C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Fagales","family":"Fagaceae"},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
English Oak (Wikidata)
WikidataStatements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
- Child Taxon Of: Fagaceae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source Danube Delta (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIn Ecosystem: Danube Delta, Article textQuote, In Ecosystem: Danube Delta, Article text
the levees of Letea and Caraorman, mixed forests of oaks (Quercus robur, and Quercus pedunculiflora) with various other trees (Fraxinus pallisiae, Ulmus foliaceae, Populus tremula), shrubs (Prunus spinosa, Crataegus monogyna, Rosa canina, and Berberis vulgaris, among others), and vines (Vitis sylvestris, Hedera helix, Humulus
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