Armenian Oak
Encyclopedia
Quercus pontica, the Pontine Oak or Armenian Oak, is a species of oak
native to the western Caucasus
mountains of Georgia
and northeastern Turkey
and Armenia
, where it grows at altitudes of 1,300-2,100 m.
It is a deciduous
small tree
or large shrub
growing to 6-10 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter and sparse, stout shoots. Its bark
is grayish to purple-brown, smooth on young trees but becoming rough later in its life. Its leaves
grow to 10-20 cm long (rarely 35 cm) and 4-15 cm across, ovate, with a serrated margin with numerous small, pointed teeth. The leaves are covered in hairs when they are young, but become smoother as they age. They become bright green later in life and turn yellow brown in autumn
. The flower
s are catkin
s, the male catkins 5-20 cm long. The fruit
is a large acorn
2.5-4 cm long, produced in clusters of 2-5 together.
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
native to the western Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
mountains of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and northeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, where it grows at altitudes of 1,300-2,100 m.
Description
It is a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
or large shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing to 6-10 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter and sparse, stout shoots. Its bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is grayish to purple-brown, smooth on young trees but becoming rough later in its life. Its leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
grow to 10-20 cm long (rarely 35 cm) and 4-15 cm across, ovate, with a serrated margin with numerous small, pointed teeth. The leaves are covered in hairs when they are young, but become smoother as they age. They become bright green later in life and turn yellow brown in autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are catkin
Catkin
A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated but sometimes insect pollinated . They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem which is often drooping...
s, the male catkins 5-20 cm long. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a large acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
2.5-4 cm long, produced in clusters of 2-5 together.