The English oak, Quercus robur - the ‘mighty oak’ or ‘king of the forest’ is indeed worthy of the name for many reasons. There are ~600 sp. Worldwide, but just two native to UK, the other is the sessile oak Quercus petraea ) and they can be surprisingly difficult to tell apart because they hybridise. The best way is to look at the acorns. The cupules in Q. robur has a long stem, or peduncle, attaching it to the tree, and it is often referred to as the ‘pedunculate oak’.
Oak trees like to take things slowly. They usually do not begin to produce acorns until they are 40-50 years old, sometimes as much as 80 years. Luckily however, they can live for 1200 years, making them one of the longest lived trees in the UK (only the Yew can surpass this feat of longevity).
In living so long they also achieve great size – for example: the Major oak in Sherwood Forest and the Bowthorpe oak that has a circumference of, an incredible, 12.3 meters.
Of all British species of tree the oak is regarded as the most important. One estimate suggests that for invertebrates alone, there may be up to five hundred species directly dependent upon it. This includes both the beautiful Purple Emperor and Purple Hairstreak butterflies, the latter of which is entirely dependent upon the oak. Many species including squirrels and Jay’s help to distribute acorns by transporting them away from the tree and burying them elsewhere for future consumption. In France the Jay is so well known for this behaviour it has been given a name meaning “Bird of the Oaks”.
But its biodiversity value does not stop after death with species such as the stag beetle dependant on dead wood as a larval food source. Given that the oak is the most populous tree in the UK (e.g. 200,000 ha – a fifth of Great Britain broadleaved woodland area – plus 9 million trees outside woodlands, compared to 11 million Ash)
Every 3-4 years oak trees will produce an especially heavy crop of acorns, numbering up to fifty thousand! It is believed that this strategy was born from a strategy of swamping acorn feeders and increasing the chances that a Jay, or other animal, will not be able to retrieve all of those buried.
You can make doors out of them because they grow so big! – but the timber is also relatively easy to use when green and gets progressively harder as it seasons to become a strong, highly durable and attractive wood. It has been an important material for ship-building, building construction and furniture. Up until ~200 years ago, oak was the primary ship building material in the United Kingdom (with 8 Royal Navy warships being named ‘The Royal Oak’). In fact the navy, in the 19th century, was often described as ‘the wooden walls of old England’.
Oak continues to be the favoured timber used in the construction of oak barrels and a lot of furniture. The high levels of tannin it contains (the bark was stripped commercially for the tanning industry), gives special flavour to wines and spirits, and also to smoked fish and cheese. Its timber works to a fine finish and produces some lovely patterns because of its medullary rays. It also makes for excellent firewood.
The oak stands at the centre of the year wheel – at the summer solstice.
Stretching back into the mists of time the Oak held special importance for the people of this land UK and others with festivals, celebrations and rituals held under its boughs e.g. marriages.
Roman emperors were presented with crowns of oak leaves during victory parades, whilst Celtic ceremonies were often performed under oak trees.
Its name ‘Duir’ derived from sanskit word ‘dwr’ meaning ‘door’ – which not only refers to its traditional use to make doors, but its association as a doorway to inner strength and spirituality
Its importance is attested to by the fact that some ~700 individually named trees exist throughout the UK. And the fact that there is actually a Royal Oak Day celebrated of the 29th May. ‘The Royal Oak’ is the second most popular pub name in the UK. Images of the oak have been used symbolically for centuries to embody English heritage, and it continues to be - with the National and Woodland trusts both using it in their logo) – as our national tree it represents our perception of the countryside and national heritage.
Go to the oak when you need the strength and courage to carry on.
Ruled by Jupiter and the Sun, the oak brings potency, fertility and good health – the acorn symbolising the cosmic egg was used in carvings to ward off illness and ensure long life.
The tannins contained in the bark (and acorns), as well as used for tanning, stimulating the circulatory system and providing a remedy for catarrh and sinus congestion, tone muscles, aid digestion, kidney stones and diarrhoea. May have antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus and may reduce serum cholesterol. It thus brings inner strength, renewal and energy. The Druids used flower tinsane for this purpose, whilst the acorns used to make a coffee substitute and oak flour for bread.
Also known as: Inifri Duir, Bodachan na Croibhe Moire.
The Oak-men are very protective of their host tree and, though they much prefer to live in the most ancient and imposing Oaks, they will begrudgingly settle in pollards and coppices should their mature tree be lopped or chopped. However, should this occur the Oak-men would sometimes seek revenge, not necessarily upon the ‘guilty’ lumberjack or tree-surgeon, but upon any passing human. A typical means of vengeance was to assume the form of human traders and, in apparently generous spirit, offer appetising looking cakes to hungry and weary passers-by. However these succulent treats would actually be poisonous fungi glamorised to look good and wholesome. So be careful from who you accept tasty treats!