50-605: The Linden Oak was a large white oak tree in North Bethesda , Maryland , beside the junction of Rockville Pike and Rock Creek Park 's Beach Drive. Believed to have been seeded around 1718, the white oak was among the country's oldest. It was 97 feet (30 m) with a crown spread of 132 feet (40 m) when measured by the Maryland Big Tree Program in February 2008. The tree died in 2022 and
100-585: 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
150-398: A deep glossy green upper surface. They usually turn red or brown in autumn, but depending on climate, site, and individual tree genetics, some trees are nearly always red, or even purple in autumn. Some dead leaves may remain on the tree throughout winter until very early spring. The lobes can be shallow, extending less than halfway to the midrib, or deep and somewhat branching. Quercus alba
200-458: 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
250-439: 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
300-559: 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,
350-666: 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
400-574: A thunderstorm in 2002. Another noted white oak was the Basking Ridge white oak in New Jersey , estimated to have been over 600 years old when it died in 2016. The tree measured 8 m (25 ft) in circumference at the base and 5 m (16 ft) in circumference 1.2 m (4 ft) above the ground. The tree was 23 m (75 ft) tall, and its branches spread over 38 m (125 ft) from tip to tip. The oak, claimed to be
450-582: A thunderstorm on June 6, 2002, was the honorary state tree of Maryland. Being the subject of a legend as old as the colony itself, the Charter Oak of Hartford, Connecticut is one of the most famous white oaks in America. An image of the tree now adorns the reverse side of the Connecticut state quarter . The white oak from the movie The Shawshank Redemption , known as the " Shawshank tree " and
500-530: A white oak, it is very unusual to find an individual specimen with white bark; the usual colour is a light gray. The name comes from the colour of the finished wood. In the forest it can reach a magnificent height and in the open it develops into a massive broad-topped tree with large branches striking out at wide angles. Quercus alba typically reaches heights of 24 to 30 metres (80–100 feet) at maturity, and its canopy can become quite massive as its lower branches are apt to extend far out laterally, parallel to
550-567: Is a 500-year-old white oak tree that sits in the town of Bedford in New York. It is the mascot of the town. It sits at the corner of the Hook Road and the old Bedford Road (now Cantitoe Street). The ground the tree stands on was deeded to the Town of Bedford in 1942 by Harold Whitman in memory of his wife, Georgia Squires Whitman. It has seen Westchester history from Native American settlements to
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#1732775846038600-643: Is a light ash-gray and peels somewhat from the top, bottom and/or sides. According to Chris Bolgiano in The Appalachian Forest: A Search for Roots and Renewal , the largest tree ever cut in West Virginia was a white oak that measured thirteen feet thick at its base. White oak may live 200 to 300 years, with some even older specimens known. The Wye Oak in Wye Mills, Maryland was estimated to be over 450 years old when it finally fell in
650-543: Is fairly tolerant of a variety of habitats, and may be found on ridges, in valleys, and in between, in dry and moist habitats, and in moderately acid and alkaline soils. It is mainly a lowland tree, but reaches altitudes of 1,600 m (5,249 ft) in the Appalachian Mountains . It is often a component of the forest canopy in an oak-heath forest . Frequent fires in the Central Plains region of
700-434: 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
750-461: Is not tolerant of urban pollution and road salt and due to its large taproot, is unsuited for a street tree or parking strips/islands. The acorns are much less bitter than the acorns of red oaks. They can be eaten by humans but, if bitter, may need to have the tannins leached. They are also a valuable wildlife food, notably for turkeys, wood ducks, pheasants, grackles, jays, nuthatches, thrushes, woodpeckers, rabbits, squirrels, and deer. The white oak
800-457: 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
850-499: Is sometimes confused with the swamp white oak , a closely related species, and the bur oak . The white oak hybridizes freely with the bur oak, the post oak , and the chestnut oak . Grandinin /roburin E, castalagin / vescalagin , gallic acid , monogalloyl glucose ( glucogallin ) and valoneic acid dilactone , monogalloyl glucose, digalloyl glucose , trigalloyl glucose , ellagic acid rhamnose, quercitrin and ellagic acid are phenolic compounds found in Q. alba . Quercus alba
900-457: 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
950-532: Is the only known food plant of the Bucculatrix luteella and Bucculatrix ochrisuffusa caterpillars. The young shoots of many eastern oak species are readily eaten by deer. Dried oak leaves are also occasionally eaten by white-tailed deer in the fall or winter. Rabbits often browse twigs and can girdle stems. White oak has tyloses that give the wood a closed cellular structure, making it water- and rot-resistant. Because of this characteristic, white oak
1000-401: Is used by coopers to make wine and whiskey barrels as the wood resists leaking. It has also been used in construction, shipbuilding, agricultural implements and in the interior finishing of houses. White oak splints have been used historically by Native Americans for basketry. White oak logs feature prominent medullary rays which produce a distinctive, decorative ray and fleck pattern when
1050-498: The "Tree of Hope", was estimated to be more than 200 years old when it fell. The tree is seen during the last ten minutes of the movie. As the movie gained fame, the tree became popular as well, and used to attract tens of thousands of movie fans and tourists every year. A portion of the tree came down on July 29, 2011, when the tree was split by lightning during a storm. The remaining half of the tree fell during heavy winds just short of five years later, on July 22, 2016. The Bedford Oak
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#17327758460381100-493: The Revolutionary War to modern times. The video game Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth features a character named Quercus Alba who bears some resemblance to the white oak and plants in general. Insects and the damage from insects account for the greatest amount of threat to acorn production from white oaks, particularly nut weevils, moth larvae, and gall forming cynipids. Acorn The acorn
1150-603: The United States prevented oak forests, including Q. alba , from expanding into the Midwest. However, a decrease in the frequency of these natural fires after European settlement caused rapid expansion of oak forests into the Great Plains, negatively affecting the natural prairie vegetation. Quercus alba is cultivated as an ornamental tree somewhat infrequently due to its slow growth and ultimately huge size. It
1200-662: The Vega series, the White Lotus, and the limited edition 40th anniversary model. White Oak has a mellower timbre than more traditionally used maple , and yet still has enough power and projection to not require a metal tone ring. Barrels made of American white oak are commonly used for oak aging of wine , in which the wood is noted for imparting strong flavors. Also, by federal regulation, bourbon whiskey must be aged in charred new oak (generally understood to mean specifically American white oak) barrels. White oak has served as
1250-494: 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
1300-609: The autumn, to fill and fatten themselves on acorns. Heavy consumption of acorns can, on 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
1350-482: 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
1400-586: The early 1980s, planners of the Washington Metro transit line changed the planned course of the Red Line to spare the tree at an estimated cost of $ 2 to 4 million. In 2020, the tree lost an enormous branch. By spring 2022, the tree had died, at an estimated age of more than 300 years. On June 10, 2023, officials said that the tree would be removed during the week of June 12, 2023, citing safety concerns. Local government and civic groups discussed with
1450-493: 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
1500-744: The felled Linden Oak was carved into a bench by local "chainsaw artist" Colin Vale. It was installed at Ken-Gar Palisades Park in nearby Kensington in December 2023. The Linden Oak is acknowledged by three on-site plaques. Quercus alba Quercus alba , the white oak , is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak , native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota , Ontario , Quebec , and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas . Specimens have been documented to be over 450 years old. Although called
1550-450: The ground. Trees growing in a forest will become much taller than ones in an open area which develop to be short and massive. The Mingo Oak was the tallest known white oak at over two hundred feet with a trunk height of 44.2 m (145 ft) before it was felled in 1938. It is not unusual for the crown spread of a white oak tree to be as wide as it is tall, but specimens growing at high altitudes may only become small shrubs. The bark
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1600-565: 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
1650-511: 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,
1700-431: 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
1750-424: 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
1800-689: 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
1850-619: 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
1900-412: 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
1950-542: 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
2000-407: The official state tree of Illinois after selection by a vote of school children. There are two "official" white oaks serving as state trees, one located on the grounds of the governor's mansion, and the other in a schoolyard in the town of Rochelle . The white oak is also the state tree of Connecticut and Maryland . The Wye Oak , probably the oldest living white oak until it fell because of
2050-676: The oldest in the United States, began showing signs of poor health in the mid-2010s. The tree was taken down in 2017. Sexual maturity begins at around 20 years, but the tree does not produce large crops of acorns until its 50th year and the amount varies from year to year. Acorns deteriorate quickly after ripening, the germination rate being only 10% for six-month-old seeds. As the acorns are prime food for insects and other animals, all may be consumed in years of small crops, leaving none that would become new trees. The acorns are usually sessile, and grow to 15 to 25 mm ( 1 ⁄ 2 –1 in) in length, falling in early October. In spring,
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2100-476: The park service ways to honor the Linden Oak's place in the community history. They decided that the tree's lower trunk would remain onsite as a memorial after its removal, and a portion of the tree's wood would be made into a sculpture by a local chainsaw artist. Montgomery Parks postponed the removal until early to mid-July pending a Historic Area Work Permit. The tree was removed on July 18, 2023. A part of
2150-455: 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
2200-439: The substantially cheaper red oak. USS Constitution is made of white oak and southern live oak , conferring additional resistance to cannon fire. Reconstructive wood replacement of white oak parts comes from a special grove of Quercus alba known as the " Constitution Grove" at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division . Deering Banjo Company have made several 5-string banjos using white oak - including members of
2250-421: 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
2300-464: 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
2350-479: 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
2400-530: The wood is quarter sawn . Quarter sawn white oak was a signature wood used in mission style oak furniture by Gustav Stickley in the Craftsman style of the Arts and Crafts movement . White oak is used extensively in Japanese martial arts for some weapons, such as the bokken and jo . It is valued for its density, strength, resiliency and relatively low chance of splintering if broken by impact, relative to
2450-583: The young leaves are delicate, silvery pink, and covered with a soft blanket-like down. The petioles are short, and the clustered leaves close to the ends of the shoots are pale green and downy, resulting in the entire tree having a misty, frosty look. This condition continues for several days, passing through the opalescent changes of soft pink, silvery white, and finally, yellow green. The leaves grow to be 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (5– 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches) long and 7 to 11.5 centimetres ( 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 – 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) wide and have
2500-622: Was removed in July 2023. The tree was seeded around 1718, according to a 1978 assessment of the tree's historic value for the Maryland Historic Trust . The origin of the name "Linden Oak" is unknown. In 1976, the state's Maryland Bicentennial Commission proclaimed the oak a Maryland Bicentennial Tree because it "stood its ground, survived the American Revolution, and continues to serve an appreciative nation." In
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