Austrian oak

Quercus cerris (Familie Buchengewächse, Fagaceae)

Distribution: southern Europe, north to the southern Alps (e.g., South Tyrol, Ticino), southeast to eastern Austria (Leithagebirge), and across southeastern Europe to Asia Minor.

Appearance: Tree up to 35 m tall, with coarse, hard bark when old; leaves leathery, oak-lobed, with 4-8 acuminate lobes on each side. The acorn, botanically a nut fruit, is enclosed halfway by a fruit cup, which, unlike the oaks native to our region, has protruding, elongated scales.

The distorting oak is distributed mainly in southern and southeastern Europe and is well adapted to dry, warm conditions. Since it is also sufficiently frost-hardy, it offers itself as an alternative tree species that can withstand climate change. It is therefore now increasingly planted in forests, but also as a street and park tree in urban areas.

Branch with fruit (Photo: G. Aas)

Wald mit Zerr-Eiche und Tanne im Taurus (südliche Türkei, Foto: G. Aas)