Turkey oak
Quercus cerris L. is one of the various species of oak that characterise the woods of Lazio.
Distribution Of Turkey oak
Its current distribution encompasses a wide region, from southern Europe to Asia Minor. Abundant in the Balkan and Italian peninsulas, its presence has been documented since the beginning of the Quaternary (2.6 million years ago) by findings of macrofossils (leaves and fruits).
Detail of turkey oak leaves and fruits collected in the Castel Porziano Presidential Estate, Rome.
How to recognize? Shape of the tree
It is a deciduous tree up to 30-35m high, with a straight trunk and oval and elongated crown.
The bark, greyish-brown, thick and rough, with age cracks in deep and narrow furrows, vertical and horizontal, of a characteristic salmon red colour.
How to recognize? The Leaves
They are 8-13 cm long and 4-6 cm wide, alternate, oblong and leathery in texture.
The lamina is more or less deeply lobed, with unequal, pointed lobes.
The pages are rough, the upper one is dark green and the lower one green-grey.
How to recognize? The Flowers
The veins are pinnate and late deciduous, detaching the following spring.
Male flowers are united in pendulous, yellowish inflorescences.
Female flowers are solitary or in groups of 2-5.
How to recognize? The Fruits
Acorns are gathered in groups of 2-4 on a short peduncle, carried on the branches of the previous year, are ovate-long nuts contained in a dome with scales.
Scales are hairy, linear (narrow and elongated) and patented. Their shape is a character that distinguishes the turkey oak from all other oaks.
Pollination And Flowering
The flowering period is between April and May.
Pollination is, as in all oaks and beech trees, carried out by the wind.
Where to find a Turkey oak
It is very common in almost all of Lazio, with the exception of the islands and the coastal plains to the mountain belt, up to 1,200 m above sea level.
It contributes to the establishment of mixed or pure oaks (turkey oaks) and mixed hilly forests, with a presence in beech and chestnut forests in the mountains. It prefers a temperate climate and a deep, sub-acid soil with good water availability.
Curiosities...
It is used for reforestation in the Mediterranean area, being a fast-growing oak.
Its wood is used as fuel, and once as lumber for railway sleepers, barrel staves and wheel spokes.
...and uses
The scientist Pliny the Elder mentions it several times in his Naturalis historia, describing the repellent action of the roots against scorpions and the astringent properties of the acorns and bark
The Sapienza Herbarium Museum holds over one million specimens and each one tells an incredible story.
Texts and images by the staff of the Herbarium Museum, Sapienza University of Rome
Layout by Caterina Giovinazzo and Ilaria De Benedictis
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