Quercus petraea

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{speciesbox | image = Quercus petraea 06.jpg | image_caption = A mature tree | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Gorener, V. |author2=Khela, S. |author3=Barstow, M. |date=2017 |title=''Quercus petraea'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T62539A3116237 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62539A3116237.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Quercus | display_parents = 2 | parent = Quercus sect. Quercus | species = petraea | authority = (Matt.) Liebl.<ref name=TPL>{{ThePlantList | accessdate = 14 Sep 2016}}</ref> | range_map = Quercus petraea range.svg | range_map_caption = Distribution map | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = See text. | synonyms_ref = <ref name=TPL/> | synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |''Quercus robur'' var. ''petraea'' Matt. |''Quercus brevipedunculata'' Cariot & St.-Lag. |''Quercus calcarea'' Troitsky |''Quercus columbaria'' Vuk. |''Quercus coriacea'' Bechst. |''Quercus coronensis'' Schur |''Quercus decipiens'' Behlen |''Quercus dispar'' Raf. |''Quercus durinus'' Raf. |''Quercus erythroneura'' Vuk. |''Quercus esculus'' L. |''Quercus longipetiolata'' Schur |''Quercus mas'' Thore |''Quercus mespilifolia'' Wallr. |''Quercus peraffinis'' Gand. |''Quercus petiolata'' Schur |''Quercus regalis'' Burnett ex Endl. |''Quercus sessiliflora'' Salisb. |''Quercus sessilis'' Ehrh. ex Schur |''Quercus spathulifolia'' Vuk. |''Quercus sphaerocarpa'' Vuk. |''Quercus sublobata'' Kit. |''Quercus huguetiana'' (Franco & G.López) Rivas Mart. |''Quercus colchica'' Czeczott |''Quercus dshorochensis'' K.Koch |''Quercus hypochrysa'' Steven |''Quercus iberica'' Steven ex M.Bieb. |''Quercus kochiana'' O.Schwarz |''Quercus kozlowskyi'' Woronow ex Grossh. |''Quercus lamprophyllos'' K.Koch |''Quercus polycarpa'' Schur |''Quercus sorocarpa'' Woronow ex Maleev |''Quercus szowitzii'' Wenz. |''Quercus abietum'' Kotschy ex A.DC. |''Quercus cedrorum'' Kotschy |''Quercus ibicis'' Kotschy ex A.DC. |''Quercus pinnatiloba'' K.Koch |''Quercus subalpina'' Kotschy ex A.DC. |''Quercus tergestina'' Wenz. |plus a long list of invalid names and another long list of names below the species level }} }}

'''''Quercus petraea''''', commonly known as the '''sessile oak''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 | access-date = 14 Sep 2016 |df = dmy-all}}</ref> '''Welsh oak''',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Acton |first1=Jules |title=Oaklore: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees |date=2024 |publisher=Greystone Books Ltd |location=La Vergne |isbn=978-1-77164-967-4 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rED9EAAAQBAJ&dq="Welsh+oak"&pg=PT11 |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref> '''Cornish oak''',<ref>{{Cite web |title = Sessile oak |website = ARKive.org |url = http://www.arkive.org/sessile-oak/quercus-petraea/ |access-date = 2017-05-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170530112611/http://www.arkive.org/sessile-oak/quercus-petraea/ |archive-date = 2017-05-30 }}</ref> '''Irish oak''' or '''durmast oak''',<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | name = ''Quercus petraea'' | access-date = 14 Sep 2016}}</ref> is a species of deciduous oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland,<ref>Mitchell, Alan (1974). "Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe (Collins Field Guide)", HarperCollins Distribution Services, New York. {{ISBN|0002120356}}.</ref> and an unofficial emblem in Wales<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/3920051.stm "Tree trail with worldwide flavour"], BBC News, 23 July 2004</ref> and Cornwall.<ref>{{cite book| first=James |last=Minahan |title=The complete guide to national symbols and emblems |volume=1 |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-313-34496-1 |publisher=Greenwood }}</ref><ref>[http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/native-trees-thrive-future/story-13244009-detail/story.html West Briton, September 01, 2011, Will native trees thrive in the future?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609133621/http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/native-trees-thrive-future/story-13244009-detail/story.html |date=June 9, 2013 }}</ref>

== Description == {{More references|section|date=October 2024}} The sessile oak is a large deciduous tree up to {{convert|40|m|abbr=off}} tall,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Annighöfer |first1=Peter |last2=Beckschäfer |first2=Philip |last3=Vor |first3=Torsten |last4=Ammer |first4=Christian |date=2015 |editor-last=Zang |editor-first=RunGuo |title=Regeneration patterns of European oak species (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Quercus robur L.) in dependence of environment and neighborhood. |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=8 |at=e0134935 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0134935|pmid=26266803 |pmc=4534096 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1034935A |doi-access=free }}</ref> in the white oak section of the genus (''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'') and similar to the pedunculate oak (''Q. robur''), with which it overlaps extensively in range. The leaves are {{convert|7|-|14|cm|abbr=off|frac=4}} long and {{convert|4|-|8|cm|abbr=on|frac=2}} broad, evenly lobed with five to six lobes on each side and a {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on|adj=mid|frac=4|-long}} petiole. The male flowers are grouped into catkins, produced in the spring. The fruit is an acorn {{convert|2|-|3|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long and {{convert|1|-|2|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} broad, which matures in about six months.

<gallery mode=packed heights=170px> File:Divljanski stari hrast.jpg|Old sacred oak (zapis) in Divljana, Serbia File:Quercus petraea 02.jpg|Shoot with leaves and acorn File:Eglinton fish pond island inosculated Q. petraea.JPG|An inosculated tree File:Sessile Oak forest.jpg|A sessile oak in a forest

</gallery>

=== Comparison with pedunculate oak === Significant botanical differences from pedunculate oak (''Q. robur'') include the stalked leaves, and the stalkless (sessile) acorns from which one of its common names is derived. (With the pedunculate oak, it is the acorns which are pedunculate, i.e. on stalks, while the leaves are not.) It occurs in upland areas of altitudes over {{convert|300|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} with higher rainfall and shallow, acidic, sandy soils. Its specific epithet ''petraea'' means "of rocky places".<ref name="RHSLG">{{cite book|last=Harrison|first=Lorraine|title=RHS Latin for gardeners|year=2012|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-84533-731-5|pages=224}}</ref> ''Q. robur'', on the other hand, prefers deeper, richer soils at lower altitude. Fertile hybrids with ''Quercus robur'' named ''Quercus × rosacea'' are found wherever the two parent species occur and share or are intermediate in characters between the parents.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==Taxonomy== ''Quercus petraea'' was first described by Heinrich Gottfried von Mattuschka in 1777 as a variety of ''Quercus robur'', ''Quercus robur'' var. ''petraea''. It was raised to a full species by Franz Kaspar Lieblein in 1784.<ref name="POWO_359961-1">{{cite web |title=''Quercus petraea'' (Matt.) Liebl.. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:359961-1 |access-date=2023-03-02 }}</ref>

===Subspecies=== {{As of|2023|March}}, Plants of the World Online accepted five subspecies:<ref name=POWO_359961-1/> *''Quercus petraea'' subsp. ''austrotyrrhenica'' Brullo, Guarino & Siracusa *''Quercus petraea'' subsp. ''huguetiana'' Franco & G.López *''Quercus petraea'' subsp. ''petraea'' *''Quercus petraea'' subsp. ''pinnatiloba'' (K.Koch) Menitsky *''Quercus petraea'' subsp. ''polycarpa'' (Schur) Soó

== Diseases and pests == * Acute oak decline * Sudden oak death * The Welsh oak longhorn beetle (''Pyrrhidium sanguineum'') is named after its host tree; the larvae feed at the bark interface of dead wood.<ref>Bullock, J.A. 1992. Host Plants of British Beetles: A List of Recorded Associations – Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES) publication volume 11a: A supplement to A Coleopterist's Handbook.</ref>

== Uses == Sessile oak is one of the most important species in Europe both economically and ecologically. Oak timber is traditionally used for building, ships and furniture. Today the best woods are used for quality cabinetmaking, veneers and barrel staves.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Munir |first1=Muhammad Tanveer |last2=Pailhories |first2=Hélène |last3=Eveillard |first3=Matthieu |last4=Irle |author-link4=Mark Irle|first4=Mark |last5=Aviat |first5=Florence |last6=Federighi |first6=Michel |last7=Belloncle |first7=Christophe |title=Experimental Parameters Influence the Observed Antimicrobial Response of Oak Wood (Quercus petraea) |journal=Antibiotics |date=24 August 2020 |volume=9 |issue=9 |page=535 |doi=10.3390/antibiotics9090535 |pmid=32847132 |pmc=7558063 |language=en|doi-access=free }}</ref> Rougher material is used for fence construction, roof beams and specialist building work. The wood also has antimicrobial properties.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Munir |first1=Muhammad |last2=Aviat |first2=Florence |last3=Lepelletier |first3=Didier |last4=Pape |first4=Patrice Le |last5=Dubreil |first5=Laurence |last6=Irle |first6=Mark |author-link6=Mark Irle|last7=Federighi |first7=Michel |last8=Belloncle |first8=Christophe |last9=Eveillard |first9=Matthieu |last10=Pailhoriès |first10=Hélène |title=Wood materials for limiting the bacterial reservoir on surfaces in hospitals: would it be worthwhile to go further? |journal=Future Microbiology |date=1 October 2020 |volume=15 |issue=15 |pages=1431–1437 |doi=10.2217/fmb-2019-0339|pmid=33156723 |s2cid=226276130 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Ju-Chi |last2=Munir |first2=Muhammad Tanveer |last3=Aviat |first3=Florence |last4=Lepelletier |first4=Didier |last5=Le Pape |first5=Patrice |last6=Dubreil |first6=Laurence |last7=Irle |first7=Mark |author-link7=Mark Irle |last8=Federighi |first8=Michel |last9=Belloncle |first9=Christophe |last10=Eveillard |first10=Matthieu |last11=Pailhoriès |first11=Hélène |title=Survival of Bacterial Strains on Wood (Quercus petraea) Compared to Polycarbonate, Aluminum and Stainless Steel |journal=Antibiotics |date=13 November 2020 |volume=9 |issue=11 |page=804 |doi=10.3390/antibiotics9110804 |pmid=33202723 |pmc=7698295 |language=en|doi-access=free }}</ref> It is also a good fuel wood. During autumns with good acorn crops (the mast years), animals are traditionally grazed under the trees to fatten them.<ref>{{citation |author=Ducousso, A. |author2=Bordacs, S. |name-list-style=amp|title=Pedunculate and sessile oaks – ''Quercus robur''/''Quercus petraea'': Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use|date=2004|page=6 |url=http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1038_Technical_guidelines_for_genetic_conservation_and_use_for_Pedunculate_and_sessile_oaks__Quercus_robur__and__Quercus_petraea_.pdf |publisher=European Forest Genetic Resources Programme|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002020448/http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1038_Technical_guidelines_for_genetic_conservation_and_use_for_Pedunculate_and_sessile_oaks__Quercus_robur__and__Quercus_petraea_.pdf |archive-date=2 October 2018 }}</ref>

== Notable individual trees == ===Pontfadog Oak=== {{main article|Pontfadog Oak}} Known as "Wales's national tree", the Pontfadog Oak was a sessile oak considered to be the oldest oak tree in the UK. Located near Chirk in North Wales, its girth was measured as over {{convert|53|ft|m|order=flip}} in 1881 and it was understood to be over 1,200 years old, an age that was due to regular pollarding for much of its life. The hollow trunk had a girth of {{convert|42|ft|5|in|m|sigfig=3|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/28/pontfadog-oak-revered-loved-mourned|title=The Pontfadog oak was the oldest of the old, revered, loved ... and now mourned|last=Vidal|first=John|date=28 April 2013|work=The Observer|access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>

The tree died in April 2013 when it blew down in high winds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2013 |title=Pontfadog Oak: 1,200-year-old tree toppled by winds |publisher=BBC News Online |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22202815}}</ref> However, the Crown Estate propagated a sapling from the original tree and planted it in Windsor Great Park.<ref>{{cite web |title=One of the world's largest and oldest oak trees returns to Chirk Castle |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/one-of-the-worlds-largest-and-oldest-oak-trees-returns-to-chirk-castle |website=National Trust |access-date=29 April 2023}}</ref> A further five saplings have been cloned from the Pontfadog Oak, three of which will be planted at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, with the other two going to sites near Pontfadog; one at Chirk Castle and the other at Erddig, as part of a woodland memorial to those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Steven |title=North Wales' ancient felled Pontfadog oak returns in five cloned saplings |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/06/pontfadog-oak-returns-five-cloned-saplings-north-wales-ceiriog-valley |access-date=29 April 2023 |work=The Guardian }}</ref>

===Fuck Tree=== {{main article|Fuck Tree}} The Fuck Tree is a sessile oak tree located in Hampstead Heath, north London. The tree is located in an established gay cruising area and is famous for its slender trunk which facilitates gay sex. Hampstead Heath has been used for gay cruising since the Victorian era, with the Fuck Tree being the most famous tree in the heath.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/09/hampstead-heath-dog-walkers-cruising-homophobic-campaign/|title=Hampstead Heath at war over tree used in gay cruising|date=9 March 2025|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=16 April 2025}}</ref> The Fuck Tree has gained recognition in LGBTQ+ art and culture, including the 2017 art film ''Fuck Tree'' by Liz Rosenfeld<ref>{{cite web|title=FUCK TREE|url=https://lux.org.uk/work/fuck-tree/|work=|publisher=Lux|access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref> and the 2023 art exhibition ''Soft Ground'' at the Gasworks Gallery by Trevor Yeung.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jhala|first=Kabir|url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/12/07/hampstead-heaths-notorious-gay-cruising-spot-recreated-for-london-exhibition|title=Hampstead Heath's notorious gay cruising spot recreated for London exhibition|date=7 December 2023|work=The Art Newspaper|access-date=19 April 2025}}</ref>

== See also == {{Portal|Cornwall}} * ''Faux de Verzy''

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/14280/Quercus-petraea/Details Quercus petraea] Royal Horticultural Society * [http://www.euforgen.org/species/quercus-petraea/ ''Quercus petraea''] – distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) * [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Quercus&SPECIES_XREF=petraea&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: ''Quercus petraea''] * Bean, W. J. (1976). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles'' 8th ed., revised. John Murray. * Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. HarperCollins {{ISBN|0-00-220013-9}}. * {{in lang|fr}} [http://jeanlouis.helardot.free.fr/page_chenes/quercus_petraea.htm Chênes: ''Quercus petraea''] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20020512140310/http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/faga/querc/querpetv.jpg Den virtuella floran – Distribution] * {{Commons category-inline|Quercus petraea|''Quercus petraea''}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Quercus petraea|''Quercus petraea''}}

petraea Category:Flora of Europe Category:Plants described in 1777 Category:Trees of mild maritime climate Category:Trees of humid continental climate Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate Category:Trees of Europe Category:Trees of Western Asia Category:Environment of Cornwall Category:National symbols of the Republic of Ireland