The Mighty Oak Epitomises Srength, Longevity, Shelter and Ritual

The world boasts some 400 species of oak tree, all defined by producing acorns. In places as varied as France, Germany, Moldova, Latvia, Poland, Wales and England, the oak is a national emblem while New Jersey, Illinois and Georgia in the United States feature the sessile oak as their state symbol. In England and Wales, the acorn is also the emblem of the National Trust.

The Oak Tree

The oak grows in much of the world, from Europe to Asia to America. It is mainly deciduous although the Holm Oak Quercus Ilex is evergreen. Perhaps its importance comes from its longevity for an oak does not produce acorns until it is about seventy years old and is not fully mature until it reaches about three hundred years.

Quercus is the definitive name for the oak tree. The English Oak Quecus Robus, gets its name from the Latin Robur meaning sturdy, also the source of the word robust. It is also defined as the Pedunculate Oak, indicating that the fruit, or acorns grow on stalks.

In June, the tree produces flowers, both male and female generally existing on the same branches, the male having catkins. When they are ripe, the acorns fall to the ground in October and wait for the help of hoarding creatures such as squirrels and jays to disperse them. Inevitably some acorns are overlooked when buried and then start the long road to maturity.

The oak apple is wrongly believed to be the fruit of the tree. Growing from a leaf, it is in fact a gall produced by an oak wasp. Famously, Oak Apple Day became a national holiday celebrating the restoration of the British monarchy on May 29th being the birthday of King Charles II. In 1651 he was believed to have hidden in an oak tree at Boscobel in Staffordshire after his defeat at the battle of Worcester. Over the years the Boscobel Oak was gradually destroyed by souvenir hunters, wishing to take away a memento.

In the United States, the Sessile Oak is the most usual, the word sessile meaning “unstalked” and referring to the acorns that do not hang down. Both the American and English oaks are so closely related that they can cross pollinate. The Sessile is particularly used for making charcoal and the tannins employed in the leather industry.

In general, oaks prefer a temperate climate, a flat landscape and plenty to drink. A mature tree will absorb up to 50 gallons of water in a day. The Cork Oak, quercus suber, growing idigenously in south-west Europe and north-west Africa is the major provider of corks for wine bottles while the wood from the tree produces barrels, giving the mature wine its distinct flavour.

The Acorn as Food

Acorns do not make good eating although they are still part of the diet in places as diverse as Korea and among some Native Americans. Rich in tannin they are best boiled to reduce the effects and can be ground into a flour. They have also been used to produce a type of coffee.

Animals such as the red squirrel rely on acorns to see them through the winter. Traditionally, on English Commons, peasants had the right of pannage allowing them to release their pigs to hunt for acorns. They are however poisonous to horses.

Hearts of Oak

One might argue that presence of oak trees enabled King Henry VIII to build a powerful navy in the sixteenth century and thus to set in motion the explorations that led to the colonisation of so many diverse countries. In Henrician times England was richly forested with oaks but it took up to 800 trees to build one warship and gradually huge areas were deforested. The wood is so strong that when Henry’s flagship, Mary Rose sank with all hands in 1545 it was 450 years before the wreck was raised and much of the wood still survived. She is now on show at Portsmouth Dockyard in England.

The Oak and Religion

The oak as sacred object features in many cultures. Prone to thunder blasts, in Greek, Roman and Celtic cultures it was associated with the gods of thunder. At Dodno in Northern Greece, pilgrims flocked to consult Zeus about the future. The God imparted his wisdom through an oak tree interpreted by the priest or priestess. Zeus had a direct parallel in the Roman god Jupiter. In an attempt to wipe out paganism, the Christian Emperor Theodosius attempted to cut down the holy oak in AD 31.

In Celtic lore, the oak was sacred to the goddess Tanaris. The calendar month of Oak Moon stretched from June 10 – July 7. The Celtic name was Duur, from which we have Door. The most holy ceremonies took place in a sacred grove of oak trees. The Celtic priests were the Druids, their name meaning knowing the oak.

Among Celtic beliefs, it was lucky to carry an acorn in your pocket when looking for important change and to place a falling oak leaf on the window sill to ensure a healthy household. Oak galls were believed to be serpents’ eggs and used in fertility rites, while by listening to the wind in the oak trees and the call of a resident wren, priests could divine the future.

Famous Oaks

• The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is believed to have sheltered Robin Hood.
• The Bowthorpe Oak in Lincolnshire is estimated to be 1,000 years old, is hollow and on one occasion 20 people held a banquet inside it.
• The Savernake Oak is reputed to be “as old as England” taking the starting date at 927 AD.
• The Chapel Oak at Allouville-Bellefosse in France has been a chapel since 1696 narrowly escaping destruction during the French Revolution. It included an upper room for the priest.
• The Rumskalla Oak in Sweden is probably the largest in Europe having a girth of over 14 metres.

Sources: Trees of the British Countryside by Alan Fairhurst and Eric Soothill, Pub Blandford Press, 1981

Oak Trees