{"slug":"quercus-robur","scientific_name":"Quercus robur","common_names":["English oak","Pedunculate oak","Common oak"],"family":"Fagaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":30,"mature_spread_m":25,"growth_rate":"slow","lifespan_years":500,"hardiness_zones":[5,8],"sun":"full","water":"medium","soil":"Deep, fertile loams and heavy clays; tolerates wet winters, dislikes thin dry soils","native_range":"Native across most of Europe from Ireland and Britain to the Urals, the Caucasus and northern Türkiye.","description":"The classic broad-crowned oak of lowland Britain and Ireland, growing 20 to 40 m with a wide spreading crown and acorns on long stalks. Supports more wildlife than any other British tree (over 2,300 associated species) and is the backbone of most UK woodland-creation schemes. Far too large for small gardens but the first choice for parks, field corners and new native woodland.","care":"Plant bare-root whips in winter and protect from deer and voles; water in dry spells for the first two summers. Prune only to remove dead or crossing wood, in late winter. Watch for acute oak decline (bark bleeds), chronic oak decline and oak processionary moth (south-east England; its hairs cause rashes and breathing problems, report sightings rather than touch nests).","benefits":["shade","wildlife","birds","pollinators","long_lived","carbon","storm_resistant"],"uses":["parks","yard_shade","timber","reforestation","hedgerow"],"cautions":["large_roots","heavy_litter","pest_prone"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Quercus_robur.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Quercus_robur.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/english-oak/","https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688","https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280706","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-robur/"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-robur","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-robur.md","regions":[{"country":"DE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"FR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"GB","region":"ENG","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/english-oak/"},{"country":"GB","region":"NIR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"GB","region":"SCT","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native but less common than sessile oak in the north and west","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"GB","region":"WLS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"IE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"PL","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Sacramento","status":"recommended","note":"On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list","source_url":"https://sactree.org/best-trees-for-sacramento/"},{"country":"US","region":"CO","locality":"Denver","status":"recommended","note":"On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List","source_url":"https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/747/documents/forestry/Street_tree_guide.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"NY","locality":"New York","status":"recommended","note":"On the NYC Parks Street Tree Planting Approved Species List","source_url":"https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/street-tree-planting/species-list"},{"country":"NZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced and naturalised on both main islands per WCVP","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2878688"},{"country":"ZA","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal); not on the NEMBA 2020 list","source_url":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/saf220858.pdf"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}