45-467: The acorn is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus , Notholithocarpus and Lithocarpus , in the family Fagaceae ). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), enclosed in a tough shell known as the pericarp, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule . Acorns are 1–6 cm ( 1 ⁄ 2 – 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) long and 0.8–4 cm ( 3 ⁄ 8 – 1 + 5 ⁄ 8 in) on
90-585: A coffee substitute , particularly when coffee was unavailable or rationed. The Confederates in the American Civil War and Germans during World War I (when it was called Ersatz coffee), which were cut off from coffee supplies by Union and Allied blockades respectively, are particularly notable past instances of this use of acorns. Acorns are a traditional food of many indigenous peoples of North America, and long served an especially important role for Californian Native Americans , where
135-554: A 22% reduction in all-cause mortality. Further reading Ulceration (Redirected from Ulceration ) Inflamed break in bodily tissue that impedes function of the affected organ For other uses, see Ulcer (disambiguation) . [REDACTED] Look up ulcer , ulcus , ulcerate , or ulceration in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Medical condition Ulcers [REDACTED] Gastric ulcer An ulcer
180-433: A common source of food allergens. Reactions can range from mild symptoms to severe ones, a condition known as anaphylaxis , which can be life-threatening. The reaction is due to the release of histamine by the body in response to an allergen in the nuts, causing skin and other possible reactions . Many experts suggest that a person with an allergy to peanuts should avoid eating tree nuts, and vice versa. Nuts contain
225-656: A cutaneous condition affecting people with sarcoidosis Ulcerative lichen planus , a rare variant of lichen planus Ulcerative colitis , a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative disposition, a disorder or discomfort that causes severe abdominal distress, often associated with chronic gastritis References [ edit ] ^ "Definition & Facts for Peptic Ulcers (Stomach Ulcers) | NIDDK" . National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . Retrieved 14 July 2022 . Classification D MeSH : D014456 [REDACTED] Index of articles associated with
270-399: A hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. The shell is indehiscent , meaning it does not open to release the seed. Most seeds come from fruits that naturally free themselves from the shell, but this is not the case in nuts such as hazelnuts , chestnuts , and acorns , which have hard shell walls and originate from a compound ovary . Common usage of the term
315-406: A high oil content, they are a significant energy source. Many seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a snack food , ground to make nut butters, or pressed for oil that is used in cooking and cosmetics. Regular nut consumption of more than 5 ounces (140 g) per week may benefit weight control and contribute to lowering body weight in humans. Nuts are
360-545: A large influence on small rodents in their habitats , as large acorn yields help rodent populations to grow. Large mammals such as pigs, bears, and deer also consume large amounts of acorns; they may constitute up to 25% of the diet of deer in the autumn. In Spain, Portugal and the New Forest region of southern England, pigs are still turned loose in dehesas (large oak groves ) in the autumn, to fill and fatten themselves on acorns. Heavy consumption of acorns can, on
405-439: A long time, much as squirrels do. In years that oaks produced many acorns, Native Americans sometimes collected enough acorns to store for two years as insurance against poor acorn production years. After drying in the sun to discourage mould and germination , acorns could be cached in hollow trees or structures on poles to keep them safe from mice and squirrels. Stored acorns could then be used when needed, particularly during
450-558: A minimum of 20–30 m (70–100 ft) from the parent tree. Many animals eat unripe acorns on the tree or ripe acorns from the ground, with no reproductive benefit to the oak, but some animals, such as squirrels and jays serve as seed dispersal agents. Jays and squirrels that scatter-hoard acorns in caches for future use effectively plant acorns in a variety of locations in which it is possible for them to germinate and thrive. Even though jays and squirrels retain remarkably large mental maps of cache locations and return to consume them,
495-404: A single pit or stone, the endocarp with a seed (kernel) inside. In a dry drupe, the outer parts dry up and the remaining husk is part of the ovary wall or pericarp , and the hard inner wall surrounding the seed represents the inner part of the pericarp. A small nut may be called a "nutlet" (formerly called a nucule, a term otherwise referring to the oogonium of stoneworts ). In botany ,
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#1732779682661540-471: A source of essential omega-3 fatty acids . As part of a healthy human diet, long-term consumption of diverse nutrients in nuts may contribute to a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases , reduced levels of blood cholesterol , and lower all-cause mortality . For vegetarians and vegans , nuts provide many of the essential nutrients which may be in short supply in other plant foods . Nuts supply nutrients for humans and wildlife. Because nuts generally have
585-663: A source of food for many cultures around the world. For instance, the Ancient Greek lower classes and the Japanese (during the Jōmon period) would eat acorns, especially in times of famine. In ancient Iberia they were a staple food, according to Strabo . Despite this history, acorns rarely form a large part of modern diets and are not currently cultivated on scales approaching that of many other nuts. However, if properly prepared (by selecting high-quality specimens and leaching out
630-405: A tree. This most often comes up regarding food allergies ; a person may be allergic specifically to peanuts (which are not tree nuts but legumes ), whereas others may be allergic to the wider range of nuts that grow on trees. In the 21st century, about a dozen species constitute most of the worldwide production of nuts, shown in the table below for major commercial nuts. Nuts used for food are
675-405: Is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ . According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin , epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing out of inflamed necrotic tissue ." Common forms of ulcers recognized in medicine include: Ulcer (dermatology) , a discontinuity of the skin or a break in
720-454: Is less restrictive, which refers to any hard-walled, edible kernel as a nut. This original usage is preserved in a culinary sense, where many dry seeds are called "nuts" and come from indehiscent fruits. Almonds , cashews , pistachios , and Brazil nuts , are examples of "tree nuts" that are not true nuts . Peanuts are a unique case, and grow underground from a legume . Nuts are an energy-dense and nutrient -rich food source. A seed
765-430: Is made from acorns, and dotori guksu are Korean noodles made from acorn flour or starch. In the 17th century, a juice extracted from acorns was administered to habitual drunkards to cure them of their condition or else to give them the strength to resist another bout of drinking. Roasted acorn flour is a main ingredient in sweet cakes special to Kurdish areas of Iran and Iraq . Acorns have frequently been used as
810-457: Is particularly true of the acorns of American red oaks and English oaks . The acorns of white oaks , being much lower in tannins, are nutty in flavor; this characteristic is enhanced if the acorns are given a light roast before grinding. Tannins can be removed by soaking chopped acorns in several changes of water, until the water no longer turns brown. Cold water leaching can take several days, but three to four changes of boiling water can leach
855-439: Is the mature fertilised ovule of a plant; it consists of three parts, the embryo which will develop into a new plant, stored food for the embryo, and a protective seed coat. Botanically , a nut is a fruit with a woody pericarp developing from a syncarpous gynoecium . Nuts may be contained in an involucre , a cup-shaped structure formed from the flower bracts . The involucre may be scaly, spiny, leafy or tubular, depending on
900-492: The acorn symbol is used as an ornament on cutlery , furniture, and jewelry; it also appears on finials at Westminster Abbey . In the Artemis Fowl book series, "The Ritual" describes the method used by faeries to regenerate their magical powers. The acorn was used frequently by both Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War . Modern US Army Cavalry Scout campaign hats still retain traces of
945-521: The acorn today. The acorn is the symbol for the National Trails of England and Wales , and is used for the waymarks on these paths. The acorn, specifically that of the white oak, is also present in the symbol for the University of Connecticut . Acorns are also used as charges in heraldry . Nut (fruit) In botany , a nut is a fruit from a tree (or shrub) consisting of
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#1732779682661990-480: The bitter tannins in water), acorn meal can be used in some recipes calling for grain flours. In antiquity, Pliny the Elder noted that acorn flour could be used to make bread. Varieties of oak differ in the amount of tannin in their acorns. Varieties preferred by Native Americans, such as Quercus kelloggii (California black oak), may be easier to prepare or more palatable. In Korea, an edible jelly named dotorimuk
1035-426: The cornea Mouth ulcer , an open sore inside the mouth. Aphthous ulcer , a specific type of oral ulcer also known as a canker sore Peptic ulcer , a discontinuity of the gastrointestinal mucosa (stomach ulcer) Venous ulcer , a wound thought to occur due to improper functioning of valves in the veins Stress ulcer , an ulcer located within the stomach and proximal duodenum Ulcerative sarcoidosis ,
1080-409: The diverse nutrients that are needed for the growth of a new plant. Composition varies, but they tend to have a low water and carbohydrate content, with high levels of fats, protein , dietary minerals , and vitamins . The digestibility of the protein at about 90% is slightly lower than that of meat and fish, but can be improved by chewing thoroughly. The fats are largely unsaturated and nuts are
1125-412: The family Betulaceae . Also widely known as nuts are dry drupes , which include pecans ( Carya illinoensis ), almonds ( Prunus amygdalus ), macadamia ( Macadamia integrifolia ), candlenut ( Aleurites moluccanus ) and the water caltrop ( Trapa bicornis ). A drupe is an indehiscent fruit that has an outer fleshy part consisting of the exocarp , or skin, and mesocarp , or flesh, which surround
1170-492: The fat side. Acorns take between 5 and 24 months (depending on the species) to mature; see the list of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors. The word acorn (earlier akerne , and acharn ) is related to the Gothic name akran , which had the sense of "fruit of the unenclosed land". The word was applied to the most important forest produce, that of
1215-562: The landscape. The volume of the acorn crop may vary widely, creating great abundance or great stress on the many animals dependent on acorns and the predators of those animals. Acorns, along with other nuts, are termed mast . Wildlife that consume acorns as an important part of their diets include birds, such as jays , pigeons , some ducks , and several species of woodpeckers . Small mammals that feed on acorns include mice , squirrels and several other rodents . One beetle species, Thorectes lusitanicus , also feeds on acorns. Acorns have
1260-510: The landscapes. Oaks produce more acorns when they are not too close to other oaks and thus competing with them for sunlight, water and soil nutrients. The fires tended to eliminate the more vulnerable young oaks and leave old oaks which created open oak savannas with trees ideally spaced to maximize acorn production. A motif in Roman architecture , also popular in Celtic and Scandinavian art,
1305-430: The minerals calcium , phosphorus and potassium , and the vitamin niacin . Total food energy in an acorn also varies by species, but all compare well with other wild foods and with other nuts. Acorns also contain bitter tannins , the amount varying with the species. Since tannins, which are plant polyphenols , interfere with an animal's ability to metabolize protein, creatures must adapt in different ways to use
1350-424: The nutrients bound in dead leaves and other plant debris into the soil, thus fertilizing oak trees while clearing the ground to make acorn collection easier. Most North American oaks tolerate light fires, especially when consistent burning has eliminated woody fuel accumulation around their trunks. Consistent burning encouraged oak growth at the expense of other trees less tolerant of fire, thus keeping oaks dominant in
1395-688: The nutritional value acorns contain. Animals may preferentially select acorns that contain fewer tannins. When the tannins are metabolized in cattle, the tannic acid produced can cause ulceration and kidney failure. Animals that cache acorns, such as jays and squirrels, may wait to consume some of these acorns until sufficient groundwater has percolated through them to leach out the tannins. Other animals buffer their acorn diet with other foods. Many insects, birds, and mammals metabolize tannins with fewer ill effects than do humans. Species of acorn that contain large amounts of tannins are very bitter, astringent , and potentially irritating if eaten raw. This
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1440-616: The oak family. Once acorns sprout, they are less nutritious, as the seed tissue converts to the indigestible lignins that form the root. In some cultures, acorns once constituted a dietary staple , though they have largely been replaced by grains and are now typically considered a relatively unimportant food, except in some Native American and Korean communities. Several cultures have devised traditional acorn-leaching methods, sometimes involving specialized tools, that were traditionally passed on to their children by word of mouth. Acorns served an important role in early human history and were
1485-410: The oak. Chaucer spoke of "achornes of okes" in the 14th century. By degrees, popular etymology connected the word both with "corn" and "oak-horn", and the spelling changed accordingly. The current spelling (emerged c. 15th–16th century) derives from association with ac (Old English: "oak") + corn . Acorns play an important role in forest ecology when oaks are plentiful or dominant in
1530-542: The odd acorn may be lost, or a jay or squirrel may die before consuming all of its stores. A small number of acorns manage to germinate and survive, producing the next generation of oaks. Scatter-hoarding behavior depends on jays and squirrels associating with plants that provide good packets of food that are nutritionally valuable, but not too big for the dispersal agent to handle. The beak sizes of jays determine how large acorns may get before jays ignore them. Acorns germinate on different schedules, depending on their place in
1575-514: The other hand, be toxic to other animals that cannot detoxify their tannins , such as horses and cattle, especially if eaten in excess. The larvae of some moths and weevils also live in young acorns, consuming the kernels as they develop. Acorns are attractive to animals because they are large and thus efficiently consumed or cached. Acorns are also rich in nutrients. Percentages vary from species to species, but all acorns contain large amounts of protein , carbohydrates and fats , as well as
1620-522: The percentage of various nutrients in four unroasted seeds. Nuts are under preliminary research to assess whether their consumption is associated with lower risk for some diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. A 2014 review indicated that consuming one or more servings of nuts or peanut butter per day was associated with lower risk of ischemic heart disease , overall cardiovascular disease, stroke in women, and all-cause mortality . A 2022 umbrella review confirmed these findings and found
1665-453: The ranges of several species of oaks overlap, increasing the reliability of the resource. One ecology researcher of Yurok and Karuk heritage reports that "his traditional acorn preparation is a simple soup, cooked with hot stones directly in a basket," and says he enjoys acorns eaten with "grilled salmon , huckleberries or seaweed ." Unlike many other plant foods, acorns do not need to be eaten or processed right away, but may be stored for
1710-477: The same name This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ulcer&oldid=1244624792 " Categories : Set index articles Surgery Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
1755-517: The skin. Pressure ulcers , also known as bedsores Genital ulcer , an ulcer located on the genital area Ulcerative dermatitis , a skin disorder associated with bacterial growth often initiated by self-trauma Anal fissure , an ulcer or tear near the anus or within the rectum Diabetic foot ulcer , a major complication of the diabetic foot Callous ulcer , a chronic nonhealing ulcer with hard indurated base and inelastic margins Corneal ulcer , an inflammatory or infective condition of
1800-433: The source of energy and nutrients for the new plant. They contain a relatively large quantity of calories, essential unsaturated and monounsaturated fats including linoleic acid and linolenic acid , vitamins, and essential amino acids. Many nuts are good sources of vitamin E , vitamin B 2 , folate , fiber , and essential minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. This table lists
1845-470: The species of nut. Most nuts come from the pistils with inferior ovaries (see flower ) and all are indehiscent (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the order Fagales . These include beech ( Fagus ), chestnut ( Castanea ), oak ( Quercus ), stone-oak ( Lithocarpus ) and tanoak ( Notholithocarpus ) in the family Fagaceae , as well as hazel , filbert ( Corylus ) and hornbeam ( Carpinus ) in
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1890-419: The tannins in under an hour. Hot water leaching (boiling) cooks the starch of the acorn, which would otherwise act like gluten in flour, helping it bind to itself. For this reason, if the acorns will be used to make flour, then cold water leaching is preferred. Being rich in fat, acorn flour can spoil or molder easily and must be carefully stored. Acorns are also sometimes prepared as a massage oil. Acorns of
1935-403: The term "nutlet" can be used to describe a pyrena or pyrene, which is a seed covered by a stony layer, such as the kernel of a drupe . Walnuts and hickories ( Juglandaceae ) have fruits that are difficult to classify. They are considered to be nuts under some definitions but are also referred to as drupaceous nuts. In common use, a "tree nut" is, as the name implies, any nut coming from
1980-464: The white oak group, Leucobalanus , typically start rooting as soon as they are in contact with the soil (in the fall), then send up the leaf shoot in the spring. Acorns are too heavy for wind dispersal , so they require other ways to spread. Oaks therefore depend on biological seed dispersal agents to move the acorns beyond the mother tree and into a suitable area for germination (including access to adequate water, sunlight and soil nutrients), ideally
2025-477: The winter when other resources were scarce. Acorns that germinated in the fall were shelled and pulverized before those germinating in spring. Because of their high fat content, stored acorns can become rancid. Moulds may also grow on them. The lighting of ground fires killed the larvae of acorn moths and acorn weevils by burning them during their dormancy period in the soil. The pests can infest and consume more than 95% of an oak's acorns. Fires also released
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