This action is to promote cross breeding (and prevent self pollination), and is partially why oaks hybridize so easily. Pollination of these flowers occurs by wind female flowers will only open once the male flowers on the same tree have dispersed all their pollen. Oaks are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both male and female flowers on the same tree. Both types of trees reproduce the same way. While obviously different, both groups have some key similarities. Oaks belong to the genus Quercus and there are two distinct groups within the genus: White Oaks and Red (or black) Oaks. In fact, a common saying is: whiskey without an oak barrel is just moonshine! Taxonomy White Oaks are used extensively in the whiskey making process, and the interaction between the wood and the alcohol is part of what gives each type of whiskey its unique flavor. Nowadays, the oak wood is still widely used, particularly in hardwood floors, but more interestingly: in bourbon/whiskey barrels. In fact, some oak species were so popular, that this demand decimated their populations globally. Demand for oaks reached an all time high during the shipbuilding golden ages of the late 1700s to mid 1800s in both the US and Europe. Many of the species used to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the new world were made out of oak. However, extensive use of oaks did not start until the 1500s, when the Spanish discovered oak’s superiority in ship building. Additionally, early Europeans and Americans would make flour for baking by grinding down acorns. Oaks have been supplying us with hearty wood for centuries however, lesser known is that acorns and the bark of oaks have been used to treat inflammation and diarrhea. Oaks, classified in the genus Quercus, have an approximated 600 species across the world, 56 of which are native to North America, and 21 of which are native in Missouri. The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is purported to be the tree where Robin Hood and his Merry Men hatched their plots.Oak Tree And Sun History of Human Use of Oaks In Somerset stand the two very ancient oaks of Gog and Magog (named after the last male and female giants to roam Britain), which are reputed to be the remnants of an oak-lined processional route up to the nearby Glastonbury Tor. Many parishes used to contain what became known as the Gospel Oak, a prominent tree at which part of the Gospel was read out during the Beating of the Bounds ceremonies at Rogantide in spring. Perhaps because of the oak's size and presence, much of its folklore concerns specific, individual oak trees. Similarly, successful Roman commanders were presented with crowns of oak leaves during their victory parades, and oak leaves have continued as decorative icons of military prowess to the present day. They wore crowns of oak leaves, as a symbol of the god they represented as kings on Earth. Mistletoe, probably the Druids' most potent and magical plant, frequently grows on oak trees and its presence was believed to indicate the hand of God having placed it there in a lightning strike.Īncient kings presented themselves as the personifications of these gods, taking on the responsibility not only for success in battle but also the fertility of the land, which relied on rainfall. The Druids frequently worshipped and practised their rites in oak groves (the word Druid was probably a Gaelic derivation of their word for oak, Duir, and meant men of the oaks). Each of these gods also had dominion over rain, thunder and lightning, and it is no coincidence that oak trees appear to be more prone to lightning strikes than other trees, whether because of their wood's low electrical resistance or the fact that they are frequently the largest, tallest living things in the landscape. To the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Slavs and Teutonic tribes, the oak was held in the highest regard amongst trees, and in each case associated with the supreme god in their pantheon, oak being sacred to Zeus, Jupiter, Dagda, Perun and Thor, respectively. Throughout the major cultures of Europe the oak tree has been held in high esteem.
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