Quercus acutissima

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Sawtooth oak
Lasdon Arboretum - Quercus acutissima - IMG 1516.jpg
Quercus acutissima - Osaka Museum of Natural History - DSC07722.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Cerris
Section: Quercus sect. Cerris
Species:
Q. acutissima
Binomial name
Quercus acutissima
Synonyms [2]
List
  • Quercus bombyxK.Koch
  • Quercus lunglingensisHu
  • Quercus uchiyamanaNakai

Quercus acutissima, the sawtooth oak, is an Asian species of oak native to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia) and the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, northeastern India). [3] It is widely planted in many lands and has become naturalized in parts of North America. [4]

Quercus acutissima is closely related to the Turkey oak, classified with it in Quercus sect. Cerris, a section of the genus characterized by shoot buds surrounded by soft bristles, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, and acorns that mature in about 18 months. [3]

Description

Acorns from Quercus acutissima Quercus acutissima - sawtooth oak acorn.jpeg
Acorns from Quercus acutissima

Quercus acutissima is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 25–30 metres (82–98 feet) tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m (5 ft) in diameter. The bark is dark gray and deeply furrowed. The leaves are 8–20 centimetres (3+147+34 inches) long and 3–6 cm (1+142+14 in) wide, with 14–20 small saw-tooth-like triangular lobes on each side, with the teeth of very regular shape. [3]

The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins. The fruit is an acorn, maturing about 18 months after pollination, 2–3 cm (341+14 in) long and 2 cm broad, bi-coloured with an orange basal half grading to a green-brown tip; the acorn cap is 1.5–2 cm (5834 in) deep, densely covered in soft 4–8 millimetres (316516 in) long 'mossy' bristles. It is closely related to Quercus cerris , classified with it in Quercus sect. Cerris, a section of the genus characterized by shoot buds surrounded by soft bristles, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, and acorns that mature in about 18 months. [3]

Ecology

The acorns are very bitter, but are eaten by jays and pigeons; squirrels usually only eat them when other food sources have run out. The sap of the tree can leak out of the trunk. Beetles, stag beetles, butterflies, and Vespa mandarinia gather to reach this sap.

Native to Asia, sawtooth oak has found its way into the Eastern part of the United States in states including Florida, Missouri, New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and many others. Quercus acutissima was introduced into the United States around the 1920s [5] . In order to reduce the potential harms of the sawtooth oak, researchers and scientists are advising to remove tree saplings and remove the plant species altogether from reclamation species lists. Due to their preference for well-drained acid soils, Quercus acutissima is able to thrive and survive in various harsh locations [6] . Similarly to other species, the sawtooth oak is able to outcompete with other native species, which has the possibility to be detrimental to ecosystems [7] . Due to its fast-growing nature, these saplings are being planted with little thought about the potential damage it may have to native species. [8]

Uses

Sawtooth oak is widely planted in eastern North America and is naturalized in scattered locations; [4] it is also occasionally planted in Europe but has not naturalized there. Most planting in North America was carried out for wildlife food provision, as the species tends to bear heavier crops of acorns than other native American oak species; however, the bitterness of the acorns makes it less suitable for this purpose, and sawtooth oak is becoming a problematic invasive species in some areas and states, such as Louisiana. [9] Sawtooth oak trees also grow at a faster rate which helps it compete against native trees. The wood has many of the characteristics of other oaks, but is very prone to crack and split and hence is relegated to such uses as fencing. [10]

Charcoal made using this wood is used especially for the braziers for heating water for the Japanese tea ceremony.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Quercus michauxii</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus laevis</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus laurifolia</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus trojana</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus falcata</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus shumardii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus shumardii, the Shumard oak, spotted oak, Schneck oak, Shumard red oak, or swamp red oak, is one of the largest of the oak species in the red oak group. It is closely related to Quercus buckleyi, Quercus texana, and Quercus gravesii.

<i>Quercus gambelii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus gambelii, with the common name Gambel oak, is a deciduous small tree or large shrub that is widespread in the foothills and lower mountains of western North America. It is also regionally called scrub oak, oak brush, and white oak.

<i>Quercus coccinea</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus ellipsoidalis</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus lyrata</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus castaneifolia</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus nigra</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus nigra, the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group, native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kentucky, and southern Missouri. It occurs in lowlands and up to 450 meters in elevation.

<i>Quercus serrata</i> Species of oak tree

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<i>Quercus hartwissiana</i> Species of oak tree

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References

  1. Carrero, C. (2019). "Quercus acutissima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. "Quercus acutissima Carruth.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. 1 2 3 4 Huang, Chengjiu; Zhang, Yongtian; Bartholomew, Bruce. "Quercus acutissima". Flora of China. Vol. 4 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. 1 2 "Quercus acutissima". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. "INVASIVE PLANTS AND THE NURSERY INDUSTRY". AmeriNursery.com. 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. Lemke, D.; Schweitzer, C. J.; Tadesse, W.; Wang, Y.; Brown, J. A. (2013). "Geospatial assessment of invasive plants on reclaimed mines in Alabama". Invasive Plant Science and Management 6(3):401-410. 6 (3): 401–410. doi:10.1614/IPSM-D-12-00045.1.
  7. "Quercus acutissima | Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management". www.lhprism.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  8. Goelz, J.C.G; Carlson, D.W. (August 1997). "Growth and Seed Production of Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima) 22Years After Direct Seeding" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  9. "BONAP's Query Page".
  10. Gilman, Edward F.; Watson, Dennis G. (October 1994). "Fact Sheet ST-540 Quercus acutissima Sawtooth Oak" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture National Forest Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2012 via University of Florida.