Japanese name: オウシュウナラ Scientific name:Quercus robur
[Overview]
A deciduous tree up to 20 m tall, with a large rounded crown.
The bark splits irregularly lengthwise.
The leaves are simple and alternate, obovate and 5–14 cm long, with 3–7 pairs of large, rounded, wavy serrations along the margin.
The underside of the leaf is slightly whitish.
The leaf base is rounded and ear-shaped, and the petiole is very short.
There are male flowers and female flowers.
The male flowers form catkins.
The fruit is an oval nut (acorn) about 2.5 cm long on a stalk 2.5–7.5 cm long; the cupule (acorn cap) is cup-shaped, and the involucral scales are arranged like overlapping roof tiles.
[Uses]
The wood is useful.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The germination rate falls if acorns dry out, so sow them immediately after collecting, or store them moist until spring.
It prefers a sunny, airy, well-drained, fertile soil that is slightly moist.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter and slow-release fertilizer in autumn.
