Quercus pubescens

Scientific description

Taxon: Quercus pubescens
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Common name: Downy oak

Origin:
Southern Europe, Mediterranean Basin, and Central Europe.

Description:
Deciduous tree 15–25 m tall. Light gray, rough bark becoming fissured. Leaves lobed and soft-hairy, especially below. Lobes rounded; underside lighter. Flowers in spring with hanging male catkins. Medium-sized acorns with scaly cupule. Grows in dry, calcareous habitats, forest edges, and slopes.

Propagation:
By seeds (acorns) after dormancy. Natural seedling growth common.

Ecology:
Adapted to dry, calcareous soils. Forms open forests, often mixed with other oaks. Drought- and wind-tolerant.

Use:
Wood for carpentry, construction, and firewood. Important for local biodiversity.

Threat:
Not globally threatened but locally sensitive to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

Creative writing inspired by Quercus pubescens

The Pubescent oak

At the edge of a small village, there was a pubescent oak. The villagers used to say that anyone who ate its fruit would be granted a wish.

One day, a poor girl named Léa asked for a house for her family. The next day, she found a small house built next to the oak tree! Another day, a boy asked for a bicycle to get around, and the oak gave it to him. Every time someone asked the oak for something, it lost an acorn, so after a while, the oak ran out of acorns, as dozens of people passed by and made wishes every day.

A wise old man passed through the village and advised the villagers not to be greedy and, instead of making wishes, to help each other with deeds. Over time, the villagers learned to rely on their own strength and that of their neighbors, not on a magic oak tree. Gradually, the oak began to produce acorns again to feed the local squirrels, who had been starving for so long that it bore no fruit.

A villager, thinking of the old man's words, decided to plant many oak trees throughout the village so that the squirrels would have fruit in abundance. Since then, the oak has been considered sacred, symbolizing strength and endurance. And this village in particular has the oak as its protector.

3D Interactive View

Authentic Specimen