Oak
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| Quercus spp. | ||||||||||||||
 Abundant acorns under Live Oak
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The fruit of the oak tree, the acorn, is a nut enclosed in a tough, leathery shell which grows in a hard, cup-shaped stem. It has historically been a staple of many Native American diets, primarily ground up and used as a flour.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Identification
Oaks are a common deciduous tree, widespread across North America, with alternate single leaves. Distinguishing oaks despite a large variation in leaf shape and general stature is made easier by the presence of acorns.
Two different subgroups of oak exist. White oaks have smooth, round leaf lobes, scaly gray bark, and acorns which possess a smooth interior and relatively sweet white meat. Red oaks have pointed, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, dark, furrowed bark and acorns which have a hairy interior and a bitter yellow meat.
[edit] Origin, Distribution, Habitat, and Life Cycle
[edit] Origin and Distribution
About 500 species of oaks are widespread, indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere and crossing the equator in Indonesia.
[edit] Habitat and Life Cycle
Oaks may be found in dry, open, deciduous woods.
In the colder parts of their range all oaks are deciduous, losing their leaves every fall. In the winter, their twigs possess small clusters of buds at the tips. Some of the oak species in warmer climates are an evergreen variety called "live oaks", and they retain their leaves year-round.
[edit] Phenology
- For main article, see Phenology
In the spring, cylindrical flowers called catkins appear, just as the new branches begin to develop. Their pollen is dispersed on the wind. Acorns develop in 6-18 months, depending on species. White oaks develop acorns every season, while the red oaks acorns do not mature until the end of the second season.
[edit] Common Names
Red Oak, Black Oak, Scarlet Oak, Yellow Oak, Turkey Oak, Georgia Oak, Northern Pin Oak, Chestnut Oak, Chinquapin Oak, Laurel Oak, Bluejack Oak, Live Oak, Oglethorpe Oak, Durand Oak, Shingle Oak, Scrub Oak, Water Oak, Bur Oak, Post Oak, Valley Oak, Gambel Oak, Blackjack Oak, Low Oak, Swamp-White Oak, Basket Oak, Mossycup Oak, Spanish Oak, Oregon White Oak, California Black Oak, etc.
[edit] Uses
[edit] Edible
All acorns are edible, rich in protein and fat. The amount of bitter tannin varies by species, but all but the sweetest white oak acorns have some degree of it. The traditional method of removing tannin from acorns involves a process called leaching. Strip the acorns of their hard, inedible outer shells, usually by cracking the nuts. Collect the whole nutmeats and boil them in multiple changes of water until the water no longer turns brown or yellow. Alternately, ground the acorns and run fresh water through the resulting coarse meal for the greater part of the day, perhaps by placing it in a basket or mesh and placing it in a nearby river.
Native tribes used a number of alternate methods to leach out the tannin from the nuts: "Indians leached their bitter acorns in a number of ways. Sometimes the acorns would be buried in the mud of a swamp for a year, after which they would be retrieved for roasting and eating whole. Other tribes let their shelled acorns mold in baskets, then buried them in clean freshwater sand. When they had turned black, they were sweet and ready to use." [1]
Once the nutmeats are tannin-free, they may be eaten raw, roasted, ground into a meal to use as a flour, or dipped in a syrup (such as maple) and eaten as candy.
[edit] Medicinal
[edit] Medicinal Properties
Antiseptic, Antiviral, Astringent
[edit] Medicinal Uses
Some Native tribes were reputed to allow their acorn meal accumulate mold, which was then scraped off, kept in a dark place, and stored. This was used to treat sores and inflammations [1]
The White Oak (Q. alba) has many medicinal uses: "Astringent inner-bark tea once used for chronic diarrhea, dysentery, chronic mucous discharge, bleeding, anal prolapse, piles; as a gargle for sore throat and a wash for skin eruptions, Poison Ivy rash, burns; hemostatic. Folk cancer remedy. Contains tannins. Experimentally, tanic acid is antiviral, antiseptic, cavity stabilizing, growth depressant, antitumor, and carcinogenic. In Germany, a related species, English Oak, Quercus robur, is approved for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. Warning: tannic acid is potentially toxic." [2]
[edit] Practical Uses
One of the most practical uses of the oak, aside from acorns and lumber, is the fact that the bark contains a large concentration of tannin, which may be used to tan hides.
In modern society, oaks are also used for a variety of other purposes. Bark from the Cork Oak is used to produce wine stoppers. Oak galls were used for centuries as the main ingredient in manuscript ink, harvested at a specific time of year.
[edit] Lore
The oak is a common symbol of strength and endurance and has been chosen as the national tree of England, France, Germany, the United States and Wales.
There is a proverb, "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow." Another is: "Every majestic oak tree was once a nut who stood his ground."
Many woods are connected to certain birth months, according to the Irish, and oak is the wood of June/July. However, in some variations, rosewood has been known to be June's wood.
[edit] Sources
Attribution
- Some excerpts were copied from the following sources under a GNU Free Documentation License
References
- ^ a b Angier, Bradford. Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1974.
- ^ Foster, Steven and Duke, James A. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
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