QUERCUS ROBUR – HRAST LUŽNJAK – - PEDUNCULATE OAK TREE – - The family: Fagaceae Species : Quercus

AREAL  It is native to most of Europe.  The best known pedunculate oak forests in Croatia, are situated in Slavonia and Posavina and the valley of the Sava and Drava.

HABITUS  It is widespread at elevations up to 250 m.  It grows up to 40m with a trunk diameter of up to 2,5 m.  It has a broad, irregular crown.  It can live very long, up to 1000 years.

BARK  Young oaks have smooth bark.  Later it is pale grey with deep ridges.

ROOT  At the beginning the trees are focused on establishing a deep sustaining root system.  As the oak grows, the tap root spreads horizontally out from the trunk.  It can have a significant root spread.

SHOOTS  It has some shoots starting from the base.  The catkins are the first things that bud out as the oak tree leafs out.

BUDS  Buds are brown and oval.

LEAVES  Oaks have spirally arranged leaves, with a lobed margin in many species.  The leaves have four to eight pairs of lobes.  The oak is deciduous but loses its leaves very late in the year.

FLOWERS  The pedunculate oak flowers between April and May.  The flowers from an oak tree are called catkins. This is where the acorns come from.

THE FRUIT  The fruit is a nut called an acorn, borne in a cup- like structure known as a cupule.  It has a peduncle or stalk between the parent twig and the base of the acorn.  It has very short leaf stalks.

Did you know?  Oak is mainly used to make furniture. Oak bark is widely used in modern medicine in parodontosis, stomatitis, bleeding and the weakness of the gums, inflammation of the mouth, throat, diseases.  A leaf tea can be used for external healing.  Acorn coffee has some therapeutic indications: gastritis, anemia, tiredness, headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, adjutant in internal bleeding.

 The largest forest complex of pedunculate oak Spačva is situated in eastern part of Croatia in the river basin Spačva and Studva. It occupies area of ha, and makes one fifth of all pedunculate oak forests in Croatia.  Different species of wild animals live in Pedunculate oak forests in our county, deer, does, wild boars, rabbits, pheasants…

 The county coat of arms is in general the same as the coat of arms of the Srijem county granted in 1748 by Empress Maria Theresia.  The three white bars represent the three rivers of the region - Danube, Sava and Bosut. The golden collar on the deer is symbol of richness, and the Slavonian oak tree is symbol of natural wealth of the region.  In the original coat of arms of 18th century in place of the oak there was a cypress tree, while the river-bars were made of wavy lines.  The coat of arms was crowned with a golden crown. LiteratureLiterature : Image taken from (with permission)