Quercus robur and Quercus petraea
 If
you are lucky enough to own a large, spacious
garden then why not consider playing host to
one of the kings of woodland. This month, take
a closer look with the Woodland Trust at one
of our best-known and best-loved species –
the mighty oak.
It
goes without saying that the oak is definitely
not ideal for the modest-sized garden. This
species demands its rightful space and even
the smallest will soon be towering magnificently
over the tallest of gardeners.
Photo above: WTPL/Margaret Barton.
Our
two great native oaks are Quercus robur (pedunculate)
and Quercus petraea (sessile). Sessile oak is
the traditional Irish oak, but the pedunculate
or English oak is also considered native. To
tell them apart just take a close look at the
leaves and acorns. With pedunculate oak the
leaves have almost no stalks but the acorns
do.
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pedunculate
oak |
sessile
oak |
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Illustrations
reproduced from the Field Studies Council
foldout chart 'The tree name trail: A
key to common trees.' J. Oldham (1999)
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With sessile oak it’s the opposite - the
acorns don’t have stalks, but the leaves
do!
Pedunculate oak prefers our ‘better’
soils. Sessile oak can tolerate thin, poorer
soil but - unlike the pedunculate - does not
tolerate flooding.
Both
however are considered native and both provide
a home and source of nourishment to an extraordinary
range of insects and birds. In fact, a mature
oak provides a potential habitat for an amazing
423 different species of leaf-eating insects.
The acorns of course provide food for squirrels
(but did you know that, in the past, wild boars
would have made a meal of any acorns falling
to the ground?)
 If
you aren’t quite ready, or just don’t
have the room, to introduce either of the above
giants to your garden, then you may feel safer
with a cultivated species. Quercus ilicifolia,
for example, is a small oak, which may grow
up to 20 ft high and which will bring striking
autumn colour to your garden.
Deep
rooted, with a large girth and a wide canopy
of branches, the oak really is a magnificent
specimen. We can’t think of a better way
to bring the beauty of natural woodland to life
in your garden. But be prepared; this one will
be with you and your future generations for
hundreds of years!
Photo:
WTPL/Peter Paice from Belfast.
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