 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Downy oak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A mature tree | |
 | |
| Leaves | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercussubg. Quercus |
| Section: | Quercussect. Quercus |
| Species: | Q. pubescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Quercus pubescens | |
 | |
| Distribution map | |
| Synonyms | |
List
| |
Quercus pubescens (synonymsvirgiliana), commonly known as thedowny oak,pubescent oak orItalian oak, is a species ofwhite oak (genusQuercus sect.Quercus) native to southern Europe and southwest Asia. It is found from northernSpain (Pyrenees) and France in the West toTurkey and theCaucasus in the East.
Quercus pubescens is a medium-sizeddeciduoustree growing up to 20 metres (66 feet).[2] Forest-grown trees grow tall, while open-growing trees develop a very broad and irregular crown. They are long-lived, to several hundred years, and eventually grow into very stout trees with trunks up to 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) in diameter. Open-grown trees frequently develop several trunks. Thebark is very rough, light gray and divided into small flakes. Large trees develop very thick whitish bark cracked into deep furrows, similar to thepedunculate oak but lighter in colour.
The twigs are light purple or whitish, with tomentum. The buds are small (3–6 millimetres or1⁄8–1⁄4 inch) and blunt, light brown. Theleaves are leathery usually4–10 centimetres (1+1⁄2–4 in) long (rarely to 13 cm) and 3–6 cm wide, usually widest beyond the middle. The leaves group at the ends of twigs. The upper leaf surface is dark green and rough, the lower light green. Both leaf surfaces are covered with minutepubescence which is sometimes lost in older leaves by late summer. The young expanding leaves are whitish or pinkish with very soft tomentum. The leaf shape is very variable, divided into 3–7 pairs of deep or shallow lobes, which are usually divided into a few sublobes. The lobes are usually blunt, rarely sharp. The apex is usually wide and round. The base of the leaf is heart shaped, widely rounded or sometimes pointed. The petioles are 4–15 mm (rarely to 22 mm) long, stout and pubescent. The leaves are persistent late into the autumn, remaining green up to early winter. They eventually turn russet or brown and fall off.
TheQuercus pubescensacorns are light brown to yellow, 8–20 mm long, usually thin and pointed. The acorn cups are light gray to almost white, with pointed, overlapping scales, covered with tomentum. The acorn stalks are thick and pubescent, up to 2 cm long. The acorns usually occur in groups of 2–5 on the same stalk.
Threesubspecies are accepted byFlora Europaea:
Downy oaks typically grow in dry, lime-richsoils. It is a sub-Mediterranean species, growing from the coastline to deep in the continent. Its optimum is in transitionalMediterranean-oceanic climates, characterized by warm to hot, dry summers and cool (though not mild) winters with ample precipitation.
