"Oak tree" and "Quercus" redirect here. For other uses, see Oak (disambiguation), Oak Tree (disambiguation), and Quercus (disambiguation).
Oak
Temporal range: Paleocene - Eocene boundary – recent 56–0 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
possible Paleocene & Late Cretaceous records
Foliage and acorns of Quercus robur
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Clade:
Tracheophytes
Clade:
Angiosperms
Clade:
Eudicots
Clade:
Rosids
Order:
Fagales
Family:
Fagaceae
Subfamily:
Quercoideae
Genus:
Quercus L.
Subgenera and sections
Quercus subg. Cerris
Quercus sect. Cerris
Quercus sect. Cyclobalanopsis
Quercus sect. Ilex
Quercus subg. Quercus
Quercus sect. Lobatae
Quercus sect. Ponticae
Quercus sect. Protobalanus
Quercus sect. Quercus
Quercus sect. Virentes
See also List of Quercus species.
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; it includes some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen. Fossil oaks date back to the Middle Eocene. Molecular phylogeny shows that the genus is divided into Old World and New World clades, but many oak species hybridise freely, making the genus's history difficult to resolve.
Ecologically, oaks are keystone species in habitats from Mediterranean semi-desert to subtropical rainforest. They live in association with many kinds of fungi including truffles. Oaks support more than 950 species of caterpillar, many kinds of gall wasp which form distinctive galls, roundish woody lumps such as the oak apple, and a large number of pests and diseases. Oak leaves and acorns contain enough tannin to be toxic to cattle, but pigs are able to digest them safely. Oak timber is strong and hard, and has found many uses in construction and furniture-making. The bark was traditionally used for tanning leather. Wine barrels are made of oak; these are used for aging alcoholic beverages such as sherry and whisky, giving them a range of flavours, colours, and aromas. The spongy bark of the cork oak is used to make traditional wine bottle corks. Almost a third of oak species are threatened with extinction due to climate change, invasive pests, and habitat loss.
In culture, the oak tree is a symbol of strength and serves as the national tree of many countries. In Indo-European and related religions, the oak is associated with thunder gods. Individual oak trees of cultural significance include the Royal Oak in Britain, the Charter Oak in the United States, and the Guernica Oak in the Basque Country.
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called...
San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK, FAA LID: OAK), formerly Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is an international...
Oak Island is a privately owned island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The tree-covered island is one of several islands...
The Oak (Romanian: Balanța) is a 1992 Romanian drama film co-written and directed by Lucian Pintilie. It was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes...
oak refers to two plant species in the genus Toxicodendron, both of which can cause skin irritation: Toxicodendron diversilobum or Pacific poison oak...
Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage...
Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, Quercus sect. Quercus...
Look up oaks in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Oaks may refer to: Oak trees or shrubs in the genus Quercus in the plant family Fagaceae Other trees...
Scrub oak is a common name for several species of small, shrubby oaks. It may refer to: the Chaparral plant community in California, or to one of the...
Oak apple or oak gall is the common name for a large, round, vaguely apple-like gall commonly found on many species of oak. Oak apples range in size from...
An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with...
also called pin oak, swamp oak, or Spanish oak, is a tree in the red oak section (Quercus sect. Lobatae) of the genus Quercus. Pin oak is one of the most...
Oak Grove may refer to: Bessemer, Alabama, also known as Oak Grove, Jefferson County, Alabama and home of schools named Oak Grove Oak Grove, Alabama Oak...
fusiformis), commonly known as escarpment live oak, plateau live oak, plateau oak, or Texas live oak, is an evergreen or nearly evergreen tree. Its native...
Look up oak leaf in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Oak leaf or Oakleaf may refer to: the leaf of an oakoak leaf lettuce, from the Lactuca sativa group...
robusta, commonly known as the southern silky oak, silk oak or silky oak, silver oak or Australian silver oak, is a flowering plant in the family Proteaceae...
Oak Ridge or Oakridge may refer to numerous locations in English-speaking countries - the most well-known being Oak Ridge, Tennessee, due to its part...
Quercus ilex, the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the Ilex section...
Oak Hill may refer to: Oak Hill, Alabama Oak Hill, Florida Oak Hill, Kansas Oak Hill, Kentucky Oak Hill, Maine Oak Hill, Massachusetts Oak Hill, Missouri...
Japanese oak is a common name for several species of plants and may refer to: Lithocarpus glaber, found in Japan, China, and Taiwan Quercus mongolica...
The Old Oak is a 2023 drama film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom, France and Belgium...
pubescens (syn. Rhus pubescens), commonly known as Atlantic poison oak, or eastern poison oak, is an upright shrub that can grow to 1 metre (3 feet) tall. Its...
Quercus texana, commonly known as Nuttall's oak, is a fast-growing, large deciduous oak tree. It is a tree growing up to 85 feet (25 meters) tall, with...
Oak Hills may refer to: In the United States: Oak Hills, Monterey County, California Oak Hills, San Bernardino County, California Oak Hills, Iowa Oak...
The Curse of Oak Island is a multi-season reality television series that chronicles a team of treasure hunters run by brothers Marty and Rick Lagina and...
Angel Oak is an enormous Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina. The tree is...
The green oak tortrix, Tortrix viridana, also known as the European oak leafroller and the green oak moth is a distinctive green moth whose larvae feed...
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