Oak
Oak navigation
The oak tree once formed a third of all tree cover in Britain.
Oaks can support more than 2,000 species, more than any other native tree. They are one of the species found in our temperate rainforests.
Our two native oaks are pedunculate (Quercus robur) and sessile (Quercus petraea), with sessile more common in Scotland particularly in the north and west.
Facts and statistics
Here are some interesting facts about oaks.
800 years.
Up to 30 metres in Scotland.
Easy to identify due to the rounded knobs – or lobes – that extend round the whole leaf.
Most oaks do not produce acorns until they are over 50 years old. Acorns on a pedunculate or English oak are on long stalks which distinguish it from the sessile oak, whose acorns are closely attached to the twig.
The female flowers are on stalks – a feature characteristic of the English oak that distinguishes it from the closely related sessile oak.
The bark becomes fissured with age.
Oak supports 500 insect species.
Europe and Anatolia.
From the early days, its strong and durable timber was found to be ideal for shipbuilding and for making timber frames of buildings.
The tannin in its bark was also used for tanning leather. Even the sawdust was, and still is, used for smoking food. Today, oak timber is used to make furniture and barrels.