Oak
Botanical name: Quercusrobur
Common names: Oak, English oak, pedunculate oak
Characteristics
- Large deciduous tree 20-40m tall.
- Leaves: around 10cm long with 4-5 deep lobes with smooth edges. Leaves have almost no stem and grow in clusters.
- Flowers: Yellow long hanging catkins which release pollen into the air
- Fruits: acorns, 2-5cm long, with long stalks and held by cupules. As they ripen they change from green to brown. Rich food source for wildlife animals including jays, mice and squirrels.
- Hardest and most durable timber It takes upto 150 years before oak is ready to be used in construction
- The oak bark is very rich in tannins and has ben used to tan leather since Roman times.
- Oak gall is an abnormal growth induced by chemicals injected by the larvae of a wasp larvae. It contains high levels of tannins. They are used to make oak gall ink.
Dying Properties
- Colour: Pale-dark brown. With iron mordant: grey, black
- Parts used/Foraging Season: Oak galls, bark. Acorns: Early autumn; Oak galls: Autumn-Summer
Location
Smallholding
