G598: Quercus myrsinifolia

This wonderful little tree is a broadleaf evergreen oak tree and a 2023 Herefordshire County Champion for its girth and height (!) which is easily missed by visitors as they walk down Oak Avenue.

It usually blooms in late spring, with two kinds of flowers; the male flowers are golden, resembling catkins, and hang downwards, the female flowers are upright, and appear in the upper part of the tree. Like other oaks, the fruit is an acorn.

Widely distributed across Korea, southern China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), this tree is native to central & southern Japan, where it is found growing wild in mixed evergreen forests.

It is extremely hardy, tolerating cold, wind and drought and is used in East and Southeast Asia as a shade tree in parks, as shelter in exposed, windy locations and as a tall hedge, in both urban and countryside areas.

It is also notable for its smooth, broad trunks that look remarkably like the legs of elephant on larger specimens.

This tree has has several common names, including bamboo-leaf oak, Chinese evergreen oak, and Chinese ring-cupped oak.

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6 Figure Grid SO504509