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Oak

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, with 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.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

966
accepted species in GBIF
Source: GBIF
14
plants on Plant News
29
research articles
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Other plants in this genus

13 plants
Research across the genus Quercus 29 articles

Every article on Plant News that mentions a member of this genus, newest first.

Trees need warm days, not just warm nights, to leaf out

If you've noticed your beech or oak leafing out earlier some springs than others despite similar average temperatures, this...

English Oak phenology / climate-adaptation

Northern red oak spotting surges across Canada this week

If you're out walking this week, the red oak's deep burgundy fall leaves and scattered acorns make it one of the easiest trees...

Northern red oak native-plants / phenology

Glendale resident's oak sighting confirmed as verified research data

A coast live oak growing on a residential street in your neighborhood could be hundreds of years old, since this species can...

Coast Live Oak native-plants / urban-ecology

Verified Oregon oak sighting adds to Beaverton park's tree records

Every confirmed Oregon oak sighting helps conservationists track where this slow-growing native tree still survives, since...

Oregon oak native-plants / urban-ecology

New model predicts pollen seasons by combining weather and emission data

If you've noticed your allergies flare up on different days depending on which park or neighborhood you're in, this model...

Oak phenology / climate-adaptation

Sewage sludge plus friendly bacteria helps oak trees thrive safely

The compost or soil amendment you spread in your garden could one day come from treated wastewater sludge, and this research...

Holm Oak soil-health / phytoremediation

Tree pollen quietly fertilizes forests through rain-soaked leaves

The yellow pollen dusting your car and patio furniture each spring isn't just allergy fuel, it's a nutrient pulse that feeds...

Oak phenology / soil-health

Leafy park trees cool streets far better than street-canyon trees

If you're picking a shade tree for a yard or noticing which park bench feels cooler in August, this study explains why:...

English Oak urban-ecology / climate-adaptation

180-year-old oak trees rewrite their DNA marks with the seasons

The oak dropping acorns in your neighborhood park is quietly reprogramming which genes turn on and off as it cycles through...

Oak phenology / climate-adaptation

Winter moths don't genetically tune themselves to specific oak trees

The oak in your yard and its resident caterpillars might not be as finely matched as nature documentaries suggest, which...

Oak phenology / climate-adaptation

Why some Himalayan trees can't grow any higher up the mountain

If you've ever wondered why the alpine tree line on a mountain hike forms such a sharp edge, this explains it: it's not one...

Oak climate-adaptation / phenology

A classic California oak confirmed growing on an Oakland street

The gnarled evergreen oak shading an Oakland sidewalk is a living remnant of the woodland that once covered the East Bay...

Coast Live Oak native-plants / urban-ecology

Warming boosts acorn crops in Maine but not New York, timing explains why

The acorns dropping in your neighborhood woods each fall are part of a chain reaction that reaches mice, ticks, and ultimately...

Oak climate-adaptation / phenology

Functional characterization of LbCDF-A, an ER-localized Zn transporter of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor

Every pine, oak, birch, and spruce you walk beneath relies on root fungi like Laccaria bicolor to mine zinc and other minerals...

Oak mycorrhizal-networks / soil-health

Restoration of alkaline spoil deposits at a highway construction site: woody plant responses to liming and organic soil amendments.

Roadsides and construction scars near your neighborhood could become functioning green corridors — and this research shows...

Downy Oak native-plants / soil-health

Tree-ring structure determines the temporal coordination between xylem growth and the gain in hydraulic conductivity in the outermost ring.

Oak trees in your local woodland are running a seasonal hydraulic gamble — their spring growth floods the tree with fast but...

Sessile Oak phenology / climate-adaptation

white oak (Quercus alba) observed in Loves Park, IL, US

White oaks in your region support over 500 species of caterpillars and moths, making a single mature tree one of the most...

White Oak native-plants / urban-ecology

High acorn predation limits assisted regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands.

If you've ever tried direct-seeding oaks in a restoration planting or food forest only to find them all gone within a week,...

Turkey Oak seed-saving / native-plants

Biochar as an integrated management tool against Phytophthora cinnamomi, a key driver of Quercus suber decline.

Cork oak forests covering Portugal's rolling hillsides — the source of every natural wine cork — are quietly dying, and a...

Cork Oak soil-health / biochar

Stem sodium sequestration and photosynthetic maintenance correlated to distinct intraspecific salt tolerance in Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis).

If you're planting oaks for urban restoration or windbreaks in areas with road salt or alkaline soils, the provenance tag on...

Chinese cork oak climate-adaptation / native-plants

Evolutionary Origin of Prolonged Delayed Fertilization in the Fagaceae.

Every acorn you see forming on an oak this summer may actually be the result of a pollination event from last year — a...

Oak phenology / native-plants

Provenance legacies override species effects in shaping oak rhizosphere microbiomes and metabolomes.

When foresters choose which oak trees to plant in your local park or watershed, picking trees whose ancestors survived...

English Oak climate-adaptation / soil-health

chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) observed in Anna, TX 75409, USA

Chinkapin oaks are excellent drought-tolerant shade trees for Texas gardens, and knowing they grow naturally near Anna means...

Chinkapin Oak urban-ecology / citizen-science

willow oak (Quercus phellos) observed in Peace St at Smallwood Dr, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA

Willow oaks lining Raleigh streets provide dense summer shade and drop small acorns that feed birds and squirrels—knowing...

Willow Oak urban-ecology / urban-trees

Mycorrhizal competition release and microbial dynamics in native and non-native Tuber melanosporum habitats.

Truffles are cultivated as a high-value crop by planting inoculated trees, and understanding whether non-native truffle...

Oak mycorrhizal-networks / soil-health

coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) observed in Camino De La Reina & Mission Center Rd, San Diego, CA 92108, USA

Coast live oaks are keystone trees that support hundreds of species of birds, insects, and wildlife — spotting one thriving...

Coast Live Oak urban-ecology / native-species

Mediterranean Holm oak spotted and recorded in Davis, California

Holm oaks are drought-tolerant Mediterranean trees increasingly planted in California cities, and tracking where they grow...

Holm Oak urban-ecology / climate-adaptation

The Effects of Acorn Origin, Environmental Microbiomes and Local Adaptation on the Leaf Metabolome.

It means the specific acorn or seed you plant — not just the soil or environment you provide — carries a hidden chemical...

English Oak climate-adaptation / soil-health

Research Mentions

PubMed → · research article

Warming boosts acorn crops in Maine but not New York, timing explains why

The acorns dropping in your neighborhood woods each fall are part of a chain reaction that reache...

PubMed → · research article

Winter moths don't genetically tune themselves to specific oak trees

The oak in your yard and its resident caterpillars might not be as finely matched as nature docum...

Functional characterization of LbCDF-A, an ER-localized Zn transpor...

Every pine, oak, birch, and spruce you walk beneath relies on root fungi like Laccaria bicolor to...

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