Quercus cerris
Fagaceae
May to June
It is found throughout the country but is much less
common in the North.
See the BSBI distribution map for Turkey Oak
It is a neophyte, which has been grown in the UK since the
1730s and known in the wild since the early 1900s.
It has been planted in gardens, parks and estates, and
beside roads.
The acorns are fertile and it has become naturalised and
has spread onto waste land, grassland, heaths and railway
embankments.
It is on the increase and can cause problems when invasive
Turkey Oak is a large, fast growing, spreading, deciduous
tree growing up to 40m.
Male flowers are in yellow-green catkins up to 8cm.
Each male flower has 4 stamens.
They are prone to insect infection and develop galls.
Female flowers are red and green and short spikes of
up to 5 flowers. They have 4 styles.
The acorns take 2 years to develop and have a
distinctive frill of scales on the cup.
The buds have distinctive long, whiskery stipules.
Leaves are up to 20cm and have up to 8 pairs of rounded
and triangular lobes.
In May, the leaves are a pale yellow greem which turns
to a dark green by August.
The undersides of the leaves are pale green and distinctly
veined.
The bark on the trunks is fissured and grey.
It is not normally used for timber.
Turkey Oak and Cork Oak were hybridised to form
Previous page: Tree-mallow
Next page: Turkish Iris
Turkey Oak in August, Beaminster, Dorset
In May with new leaves and catkins
Male catkins
Male flowers - white filaments, yellow-green anthers
Insect galls on a catkin
Female flower spike - 4 styles
Acorn in September of year 1 - frill of scales
Acorn in September of year 2
Side view of acorn
Shoot bud with twisted, whiskery stipules
Leaves are yellow-green in May
Lobed leaves - dark green in September
Pale green underside of leaf
Grey, fissured bark
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