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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Canopy; Bog Garden;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Seed.
Edible Uses: Coffee; Gum.
Seed - cooked[2, 5, 8, 13]. Nourishing but indigestible[4]. Chopped and roasted, the seed is used as an almond substitute[8]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread[183]. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost[63]. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[21, 61]. An edible gum is obtained from the bark[177]. Another report says that an edible manna is obtained from the plant and that it is used instead of butter in cooking[183]. This report probably refers to the gum[K].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antiseptic; Astringent; Bach; Decongestant; Haemostatic; Tonic.
The oak tree has a long history of medicinal use. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, decongestant, haemostatic and tonic[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 165]. The bark is the part of the plant that is most commonly used[4], though other parts such as the galls, seeds and seed cups are also sometimes used[7]. A decoction of the bark is useful in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, haemorrhages etc[4]. Externally, it is used to bathe wounds, skin eruptions, sweaty feet, piles etc[9]. It is also used as a vaginal douche for genital inflammations and discharge, and also as a wash for throat and mouth infections[9]. The bark is harvested from branches 5 - 12 years old, and is dried for later use[9]. Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[4]. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Despondency', 'Despair, but never ceasing effort'[209]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the bark. It is used in the treatment of disorders of the spleen and gall bladder[9]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Quercus robur Pedunculate Oak for coughs/bronchitis, diarrhoea, inflammation of mouth and pharynx, inflammation of the skin (see [302] for critics of commission E).
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Other Uses
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Basketry; Charcoal; Compost; Fuel; Gum; Ink; Repellent; Tannin; Wood.
A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[20, 201]. The bark is an ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator[32]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. The bark is very rich in calcium[18]. Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[4]. A black dye and an excellent long-lasting ink is made from the oak galls, mixed with salts of iron[4, 7, 66]. The colour is not very durable[4]. When mixed with alum, the dye is brown and with salts of tin it is yellow[4]. Trees can be coppiced to provide material for basket making, fuel, construction etc[23]. The wood is a source of tar, quaiacol, acetic acid, creosote and tannin[123]. Tannin is extracted commercially from the bark and is also found in the leaves[223]. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains11.6% tannin and the wood 9.2%[223]. The bark strips easily from the wood in April and May[4]. A purplish dye is obtained from an infusion of the bark with a small quantity of copperas[4]. It is not bright, but is said to be durable[4]. Wood - hard, tough, durable even under water - highly valued for furniture, construction etc[4, 13, 61, 66]. It is also a good fuel[6] and charcoal[61].
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Cultivation details
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Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[11]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[200]. Succeeds in heavy clay soils[13] and in wet soils so long as the ground is not water-logged for long periods[186]. Dislikes dry or shallow soils but is otherwise drought tolerant once it is established[186]. Tolerant of exposed sites though it dislikes salt-laden winds[186]. The oak is a very important timber tree in Britain, it is also a very important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterfly[30], there are 284 insect species associated with this tree[24]. It has often been coppiced or pollarded for its wood in the past[23], though this should not be done too frequently[186], about once every 50 years is the average. The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed ripening in its first year[200, 229]. Older trees have a thick corky bark and this can protect them from forest fires, young trees will often regenerate from the base if cut down or killed back by a fire[186]. Intolerant of root disturbance, trees should be planted in their permanent positions whilst young[11]. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[200]. Immune to attacks by the tortix moth[1]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[88, 200].
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Propagation
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Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[11]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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1117200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
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Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
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[6]Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose.
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Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[8]Ceres. Free for All.
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Edible wild plants in Britain. Small booklet, nothing special.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
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A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
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[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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[18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
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Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
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[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
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Fairly good.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[23]Wright. D. Complete Book of Baskets and Basketry.
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Not that complete but very readable and well illustrated.
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[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
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Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
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[30]Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe.
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An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
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[32]Bruce. M. E. Commonsense Compost Making.
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Excellent little booklet dealing with how to make compost by using herbs to activate the heap. Gives full details of the herbs that are used.
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[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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[63]Howes. F. N. Nuts.
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Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
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[66]Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery.
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Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
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[88]RHS. The Garden. Volume 112.
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Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.
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[123]? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.
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It contains a few things of interest to the plant project.
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[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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An excellent small herbal.
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[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[186]Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs.
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An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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A well produced and very readable book.
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[209]Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies
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Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.
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[223]Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins
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A fairly detailed treatise on the major sources of vegetable tannins.
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[229]Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History.
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A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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[302]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Commission E
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_E
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