Quercus cerris

Turkey oak

The Turkey oak (fachsprachlich Turkey Oak, Quercus cerris L. ) is a deciduous tree species in the genus of oaks (Quercus ) in the beech family ( Fagaceae ).

Description

The Turkey oak can be up to 35 meters high and reached an age to 200 years. She has a broad crown and early forms a thick, hard, dark gray, longitudinally fissured bark. The young shoots are hairy kurzfilzig, the buds are surrounded by distinctive, up to 2 centimeters long, thread-like stipules. The up to 13 -inch-long leaves are alternate and are deeply lobed sinuate. They are leathery, rough on both sides, upper side dark green above, tomentose and gray-green.

The Turkey oak is monoecious and flowers in May, the acorns mature in the second year in September to October. The acorns are up to 3 centimeters long and sit halfway into the prickly cupula.

Occurrence

The Turkey oak has a (East ) sub-Mediterranean area of ​​distribution. Of course, it occurs in southern France, Italy, South East Europe and the Balkan Peninsula to the western edge of the Black Sea. You lack in the Iberian Peninsula, Corsica and Sardinia. In Central Europe are natural occurrences in Ticino, South Tyrol, Moravia, Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria. When deposits in the Emperor chair is not certain whether it is natural or comes from planting in the Roman period. In England and north-west France, Turkey oak is just naturalized.

The Turkey oak preferred summer warm, nutrient-rich soils. She has a wide ecological amplitude and occurs both on lime - like on acid silicate rock. It rises from the plains in central mountainous areas with altitudes up to 1250 meters above sea level high. The Turkey oak forms mixed forests with the flowering ash, downy oak, the hornbeam and other deciduous tree species.

Use

The Turkey oak is an important forest grove in southern and south-eastern Europe. Their wood is similar to the English oak and finds similar use. The sapwood is broader and red-brown heartwood is denser and harder. This makes the wood shrinks more and is harder to split. The Turkey oak is often managed as coppice for firewood. The acorns are used as pig feed, the branches are geschneitelt as cattle feed. In Central Europe, Turkey oak is a popular park tree.