Common (English) Oak and Sessile Oak Quercus robur and Quercus petraea

The Oak tree is the iconic tree of the UK. An Oak spends 300 years growing, 300 years resting and 300 years declining. The largest Oak in Britain would take nine adults finger tip to finger tip to hug it. This tree can sustain a large variety of wildlife, especially insects.

Conservation status in Norfolk

Veteran oaks support a huge range of other wildlife and like other ancient trees need protection for their wildlife and landscape value.

Click to see the Biodiversity Action Plan Species for this species

How to help

Why not try growing an oak tree from seed. First find an acorn that has not been chewed. Then drop your acorn into a bowl of water. If it sinks it is a viable seed which could grow into a tree, it is floats to the top put it back where you found it and find another one. Plant your seed in a pot, water and place outside. Keep an eye on your seedling and give it a water when needed, but don’t expect anything to happen for quite a long time.

Adopt me today and help ensure my future!

Oak, David North

Oak acorns, David North

Oak tree in Autumn, Linda Smith

Information on the Common (English) Oak and Sessile Oak

How to recognise

Oak trees have distinctive acorns and leaves. The main distinguishing feature of the common and sessile oaks are the clustering of buds at the end of each twig and lobed leaves. In Britain there are two native oaks, the common and the sessile. The main distinguishing feature of a common oak is the presence of a stalk on the female flowers and acorns. The leaves appear to have short stalks or no stalks at all and they also have lobes on either side of the base of the leaf. The acorns of a sessile oak do not have stalks, and the leaves have long stalks and they lack the basal lobes. However, hybrids between the two species occur with intermediate features.

Where to see

These trees are widespread throughout the whole of Europe, including Britain. NWT Thursford Wood (see link) is a fantastic ancient woodland and is home to some of the oldest oak trees in the country.

When to see

Pale green leaves open in April, becoming a rich green by summer and then a golden-brown in late October. The flowers of the oak, wind pollinated catkins which appears to be a long stalk scattered with simple yellow flowers, open in May. The fertilised female flower becomes the woody acorn by September.

Did you know?

English oaks can live for over 1,000 years and can support

Finding out more

www.treecouncil.org.uk
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

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