Notholithocarpus
Notholithocarpus | |
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Foliage | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Fagaceae |
Subfamily: | Quercoideae
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Genus: | Notholithocarpus Manos, Cannon & S.H.Oh |
Species: | N. densiflorus
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Binomial name | |
Notholithocarpus densiflorus (
Arn. ) Manos, Cannon & S.H.Oh | |
Notholithocarpus densiflorus range | |
Synonyms | |
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Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is a
Description
It can reach 40 meters (130 feet) tall in the California Coast Ranges, though 15–25 m (49–82 ft) is more usual,[2] and can have a trunk diameter of 60–190 centimeters (24–75 inches). The bark is fissured, and ranges from gray to brown.[2]
The
The seed is an acorn 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) long and 2 cm in diameter, very similar to an oak acorn, but with a very hard, woody nut shell more like a hazel nut. The nut sits in a cup during its 18-month maturation; the outside surface of the cup is rough with short spines.[2] The nuts are produced in clusters of a few together on a single stem.
Currently, the largest known tanoak specimen is on private timberland near the town of Ophir, Oregon. It has a circumference of 7.9 m (26 ft), is about 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) in diameter at breast height, and is 37 m (121 ft) tall with an average crown spread of 17 m (56 ft).[3]
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N. densiflorus var. echinoides in Berkeley, California
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Acorn of N. densiflorus
Notholithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides
Members of populations in interior California (in the northern
Taxonomy
By 2008, the species was moved into a new genus, Notholithocarpus (from Lithocarpus), based on multiple lines of evidence.[4] It is most closely related to the north temperate oaks (Quercus) and not as closely related to the Asian tropical stone oaks (Lithocarpus, where it was previously placed), but instead is an example of convergent morphological evolution.
While related to oaks (as well as chestnuts), the name is written as 'tanoak' because it is not a true oak.[2]
Distribution
It is native to the far western United States, found in southwest Oregon and in California as far south as the Transverse Ranges and east in the Sierra Nevada. It grows from sea level to elevations of 1,200 m (3,900 ft).[2]
Ecology
Tanoak is
Fine hairs on the young leaves and twigs discourage deer from eating them.[2] Various animals, including squirrels, deer, and bears, eat the nuts.[2]
Uses
The nut kernel is very bitter, and is inedible for people without
The name tanoak refers to its tannin-rich bark, a type of tanbark, used in the past for tanning leather before the use of modern synthetic tannins. By 1907, the use of tanoak for tannin was subsiding due to the scarcity of large tanoak trees. There were not enough trees around for a worthwhile economic return. By the early 1960s, there were only a few natural tannin operations left in California. The industry was beginning to switch to a synthetic alternative.[10] The tree's tannins has been used as an astringent.[11]
A mulch made from the leaves of the tanoak can repel grubs and slugs.[8]
The wood is strong and sometimes used as lumber, but suitable trees are usually inaccessible. It is also used as firewood.[2]
References
- . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ OCLC 1141235469.
- ^ "Tanoak Lithocarpus densiflorus". American Forests. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- S2CID 85671229. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 20, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- ^ http://cisr.ucr.edu/sudden_oak_death.html Sudden Oak Death at University of California, Riverside, Center for Invasive Species Research
- Government Printing Office. p. 405. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Merriam, C. Hart 1966 Ethnographic Notes on California Indian Tribes. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley (p. 200)
- ^ a b Natural Medicinal Herbs: Reference page = Herb latin name: Lithocarpus pachyphylla
- ^ Thayer, Samuel (2010). Nature's Garden. Forager's Harvest Press. pp. 162, 165.
- ^ University of California Oak Woodland Management: Home Url = ucanr.edu Reference page = Does It Make Cents to Process Tanoak to Lumber
- ^ Tappeiner, John C.; McDonald, Philip M.; Roy, Douglass F. (1990). "Lithocarpus densiflorus". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Hardwoods. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
External links
Media related to Notholithocarpus densiflorus at Wikimedia Commons