How old is the oldest oak tree on the planet?
Its age is estimated at 800 years. The height is 46 meters, and the diameter reaches more than two meters. In 1963, the king oak was declared a natural monument.
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Message about the oak tree. What you need to know about oak
Oak in the open
In Rus', oak has always personified strength and power. It is considered a special tree endowed with masculine energy. In lean years, peasants used oak fruits - acorns - in cooking and fed domestic animals. Oak wood is considered a valuable building material.
There are about 450 species of oak on earth, which are distributed mainly in the northern hemisphere. In the European part of Russia, almost one type of oak grows - pedunculate oak or common oak. Mongolian oak grows in the Far East.
Description of common oak
The common oak is a deciduous tree. It grows up to 40 meters in height, and can reach 2 meters in diameter. There are trees known in nature that are more than 1000 years old. An oak tree growing in open spaces has a spherical crown. In the forest, the oak tree grows tall and has a straight, tall trunk.
Oaks in the forest
Oak roots are branched and powerful. The bark of young trees is smooth and brown. In old trees, gray, in cracks. Leaves on oak appear later than on other deciduous trees.
Oak leaves
It begins to bloom as soon as the leaves turn green. Oak flowers are small and inconspicuous.
Both male and female flowers appear on the same tree. Male flowers are dangling “earrings” of yellowish-green color. These flowers hang in bunches from oak branches.
Male oak flowers. From freely available sources
Female flowers are very small, raspberry-red in color, located at the end of young branches.
Female and male oak flowers. From freely available sources
In place of female flowers, fruits grow - acorns. Acorns ripen in the fall, at the end of September, October.
Green acorns
Acorns serve as the main material for oak propagation, and are also eaten in large quantities by rodents.
Common oak is an unpretentious tree, it is frost-resistant and drought-resistant.
Shipov forest
The greatest predominance of common oak is observed in forests located in the southern part of the forest-steppe zone. One of the oak forests, with a predominance of oak, located in the Voronezh region, is the Shipov Forest.
The forest of thorns is famous for its ship oaks. Trees were harvested here for the construction of the first ships of the Russian fleet. The founder of the fleet, Peter 1, called the Shipov Forest “The Golden Bush of the Russian State.” The name of the forest is also associated with the fleet, in English ship - ship.
The Thorn Forest is also famous for its “Ideal Oak”. A slender, straight tree without knots, 35 meters high, with a crown with a diameter of 18 meters, located at the very top of the tree. This and other similar trees are about 200 years old.
Perfect oak
Unfortunately, at present the ideal oak has already dried up, but I think it won’t be difficult to find another similar oak.
In addition to the perfect oak tree, the thorn forest contains oak trees that are over 400 years old.
How is oak useful?
Oak has many economic and medical uses.
Wood has valuable consumer properties:
- durable;
- has high moisture resistance, resistance to rotting and fungal infections;
- has a beautiful texture;
For a long time it served as the main building material for the construction of houses and outbuildings in villages. And in our time it is used in the construction of cottages. Oak parquet floors are widely known. Oak wood is also in demand in the furniture industry.
Dark-colored furniture made from bog oak is especially valued. Bog oak is oak trees that have been kept in water for a long time and dried using a special technology.
Oak bark
Oak bark contains tannins, which are used in medicine and the leather industry. In Russia, leather was treated only with oak bark. The processing of leather is called tanning. This word began to be used even if the skin was treated with other compounds (willow bark or chrome salts).
Oak bark has the following beneficial properties:
- relieves inflammatory processes;
- heals wounds;
- treats stomach diseases (if you use its decoction);
- eliminates allergic reactions;
- helps with colds;
- heals gums.
For medicinal use, oak bark is collected in the spring. After collection, it is dried for 2-4 days. It must be stored dry and brittle.
Types of oak
Many oak trees, despite autumn, remain covered with brown-yellow leaves that hold tightly to the branches.
What is their secret? There are different types of these trees. People distinguish them as follows: winter oak and summer oak. The summer forest blooms its leaves along with other trees. It falls in October-November. The rough-legged foliage appears much later and lasts longer. When the first frosts come, it dries up, turning into an amazing herbarium created by nature itself. Dried leaves continue to hang on the branches, unaffected by winds and other bad weather. In our latitudes there are 19 varieties of these trees. Buzzards and summerbirds are common in the regions of central Russia. There are oak trees that are firmly rooted on the rocks. They are called rocky or sessile flowers. The crown of the rock tree grows high and straight, and the trunk is much thinner than that of its forest counterparts. Sessile oak grows up to 30 m in height and lives for about 800 years. It can be found on any hilly hill in the form of a separately growing tree.
Red oak is found in North America. Its foliage is thin and shiny, with deep grooves. On each side of the leaf sharp edges-blades are visible.
There are also these trees:
- weeping;
- swamp;
- petiolate;
- Georgian;
- long-legged;
- chestnut-leaved;
- Mongolian.
Main types of mighty oaks
The genus includes up to five thousand (and maybe more) varieties of this tree, known to everyone.
Oaks of Russia
Petiolate (Quercus robur) is a traditional representative for Russia and Western European countries.
- Resistance to large temperature changes;
- Tolerance to prolonged drought;
- Wind resistant.
Prefers good fertile soil. In field conditions, the plant reaches 50 meters in height. In group plantings, individuals are lower, the crowns are located in the upper part of the trunk, which ensures high light-loving properties. The leaves are large - up to 15 cm in length. English oak is considered a long-liver - the age of individual individuals is 1500 years with an average life expectancy of 300-500 years.
Chestnut-leaved oak is a rare representative of the genus, listed in the Red Book. It was actively felled for use for construction purposes - its wood is highly frost-resistant and hard. The trunk can stretch up to 30 meters, the crown has the shape of a tent. The leaves with pointed triangular edges are similar to the foliage of the chestnut tree, from which the species gets its name.
In Russia, the chestnut-leaved plant is found in deciduous forests and in artificial park areas. Active work is underway to restore the population of this species.
Large anther oak grows in the southern mountainous regions of the Caucasus. Artificially planted in park areas.
- Short leaf (up to 8 cm) with blunt blades;
- Photophilia;
- Slow growth;
- Resistant to drought and frost.
Mongolian oak has an attractive decorative appearance, for which landscape designers love it. In Russia, the tree is planted in alleys as an array or tapeworm on plots of land.
The leaves of the representative are elongated, reaching 20 cm. In summer, their color is dark green, at the beginning of falling - bright brown. The tree grows well in light partial shade.
Gartvis oak (Armenian) begins its genus in the Western Caucasus. The leaves are obovate, with up to 12 rounded pairs. Acorns form and develop on long stalks. Due to the characteristics of their origin, they love moderate shade, humidity, warm temperatures, and fertile soil. It does not tolerate winter well, so it cannot grow in colder regions.
American oak genus
The following plant varieties originate on the American continent:
Red is a bright powerful tree up to 30 (sometimes 50) meters high. The trunk diameter reaches 1 meter. A distinctive feature is the specific color of the leaves: after blooming they have a reddish base, in summer they are bright green, in autumn they acquire a crimson or bright brown hue. In other characteristics, the tree is similar to the Russian petiolate representative of the genus.
Its bright color has made red oak a popular decoration for urban landscapes - the tree is artificially grown in different parts of the world.
Northern (boreal) native to North America, similar to red. Egg-shaped crown and leaves. The trunk differs from other representatives in its smoothness - it is less susceptible to coarsening and cracking.
The leaf reaches 25 cm in length and turns bright red in autumn.
The tree is common in European countries and grows in forests and parks.
What does an oak tree look like in autumn?
The oak, which can be found in the forest in autumn, does not lose its amazing beauty.
It changes the color of the foliage from green to bright yellow. In the first autumn months its leaves are amber-yellow. Closer to winter they dry out and turn brown. By October, many forest trees shed their bright colors and remain completely bare. The autumn oak tree is in no hurry to part with its foliage. Even if its leaf becomes dry and brown, it holds tightly to the branches, remaining on them until next spring.
If a tree grows in the thicket of a forest, it is crowded among other deciduous plants. Its trunk begins to stretch and thin. But if it grows in a spacious clearing, it becomes a mighty handsome man. Its trunk is thick, so the tree looks squat and stocky. Its branches, spreading in different directions, form a lush crown, decorated with carved foliage.
