{"slug":"quercus-petraea","scientific_name":"Quercus petraea","common_names":["Sessile oak","Durmast oak","Irish oak"],"family":"Fagaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":30,"mature_spread_m":22,"growth_rate":"slow","lifespan_years":500,"hardiness_zones":[4,7],"sun":"full","water":"medium","soil":"Well-drained, often acidic and stony upland soils; tolerates poorer, drier ground than English oak","native_range":"Native across most of Europe including Britain and Ireland, east to Ukraine, the Caucasus, northern Iran and Türkiye.","description":"The oak of hilly, wetter western and northern Britain and Ireland, growing 20 to 40 m with a straighter trunk than English oak and stalkless acorns. It is the national tree of Ireland and the dominant tree of Atlantic oakwoods. Like English oak it supports hundreds of insect species, so it is a mainstay of upland native woodland planting.","care":"Plant small bare-root trees in winter with tree guards; water through the first two summers on dry sites. Prune lightly in late winter if at all. Threats are acute and chronic oak decline, and oak processionary moth where present in south-east England.","benefits":["shade","wildlife","birds","pollinators","long_lived","carbon","storm_resistant"],"uses":["parks","timber","reforestation","yard_shade"],"cautions":["large_roots","heavy_litter"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Quercus_petraea_06.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Quercus_petraea_06.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/sessile-oak/","https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-petraea/"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-petraea","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-petraea.md","regions":[{"country":"DE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"FR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"GB","region":"ENG","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"GB","region":"NIR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"GB","region":"SCT","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"GB","region":"WLS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2880130"},{"country":"IE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"National tree of Ireland","source_url":"https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/sessile-oak/"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}