English Oak : Natural History

English Oak Leaves

Quercus robur - the English oak or pedunculate oak. Analog Photo Fun. (2012) 

The English oak is deciduous tree. Generally, the tree grows to be about seventy feet tall and can grow in several different forms. While the oak usually has branching that is spreads out to a broad crown, it can also grow into a fastigiate shape, where the branches wind tightly upward.  It has simple leaves that are about 3 inches with lobed margins that are a brilliant green in the spring and summer and turn to a copper color in the fall. Its bark is rough, deeply fissured as it grows older and is light grey in color. The tree produces acorns that are green at first, but turn a deep brown before falling to the ground. These acorns are narrow and oblong with grey caps. The acorns have been used by animals and humans as an important, nutritious food source.