Quercus myrsinifolia seed
LATIN NAME: QUERCUS MYRSINIFOLIA
COMMON NAME: Bamboo-leaved Oak
In the evergreen woods and the temple groves of the east, the bamboo-leaved oak grows as a medium, evergreen tree with the narrow, glossy, finely toothed leaves that look like those of the bamboo and the slender catkins of the spring, the small, round acorns ripening in the autumn. Over time it grows a dense, bushy clump, up to two metres. Full sun suits it best, with deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bamboo-leaved oak appears in the studies of the evergreen oaks of the east, its narrow leaves and its small acorns keeping it in view in the work on the temple trees of the region and the evergreen members of the oak tribe. The research looks at the way the narrow leaves cut the winter cold, the small acorns ripen and fall, and the seed biology of the short-lived acorns.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the temple garden and the sheltered border, the bamboo-leaved oak carries the narrow, glossy leaves that give it the air of a giant bamboo and sets the small acorns that the squirrels take in the autumn. The neat evergreen makes a fine hedge and a fine specimen, and the tree makes the fine evergreen oak, the temple-garden tree and the tree of the mild, sheltered garden. It is a tree for the sunny or shaded, deep and fertile place.
To grow the Bamboo-leaved Oak from seed, sow the acorns at once, fresh from the cup, in deep pots of gritty soil.
Sow the acorns at once, fresh from the cup, in deep pots of gritty soil, and keep the young oaks in the open, sunny spot. The small acorns ripen with the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Quercus myrsinifolia
COMMON NAME: Bamboo-leaf Oak, Chinese Evergreen Oak, Japanese White Oak
The bamboo-leaf oak is an elegant evergreen oak, and its neat, narrow leaves give it a calm, refined beauty. It turns into a narrow, conical crown, reaching several metres. In spring it bears the slender catkins of the oaks, and in autumn it produces small acorns in shallow cups. It is a handsome, reliable tree of the warm forests of eastern Asia.
The bamboo-leaf oak belongs to the beech family, Fagaceae, and it is native to central and southeastern China, Japan, Korea, Laos, northern Thailand and Vietnam. It is known as white oak in Japan and gasinamu in Korea, and it grows in the warm, humid forests of the region.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a bamboo-leaf oak from seed is easy and very rewarding. The acorns ripen in autumn and are best sown fresh, since they lose vigour quickly. Sow them in pots of free-draining compost in autumn, about two centimetres deep, and leave them outdoors through winter, or chill them briefly in the fridge first. Germination usually begins in spring, with sturdy seedlings. Pot them on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny or partly shaded spot in good, well-drained soil. A seed-raised bamboo-leaf oak will grow into a fine, evergreen tree with its neat, glossy foliage.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bamboo-leaf oak has a genuine and growing place in ecological and botanical research. As an evergreen oak of the warm forests of eastern Asia, it has been studied in ecology for its role in the forest, its growth and its regeneration, and evergreen oaks are of broad interest in research on forest ecosystems in warm, humid climates. The tree has also been studied in horticulture for its value as an ornamental, since its neat, glossy, evergreen foliage makes it a popular garden and street tree in parts of Asia, and it is used as a rootstock in oak cultivation in some regions. The species has also been studied in plant science as part of the large and important genus Quercus. For an oak of such neat beauty and such wide range, the bamboo-leaf oak has a steady and interesting record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the bamboo-leaf oak is a generous tree. Its catkins feed bees and other insects, its acorns feed squirrels, birds and small mammals, and its dense evergreen canopy gives shelter and nesting sites for a great range of wildlife throughout the year.
Its economic value is real. The timber is hard and durable, used for furniture, tool handles and other work, and the tree is also valued as an ornamental, planted in gardens, parks and along streets in parts of Asia for its neat, glossy, evergreen foliage. For a grower, the bamboo-leaf oak is a dependable and handsome tree, and for a gardener it brings the calm, evergreen beauty of the eastern Asian forest.
Quercus myrsinifolia / Cyclobalanopsis myrsinifolia It has several common names, including bamboo-leaf oak, Japanese live oak, and Chinese ring-cupped oak . This is an evergreen oak tree that grows up to 20 metres (66 ft) tall. Leaves are 60–110 × 18–40 mm leathery, shiny green above (new leaves purple-bronze) . Acorns 2-4 together, narrowly ovoid, about 20 × 8 mm, cap has 3-6 concentric rings, ripen in first year. Height: 20 – 40 feet. Width: 15 – 30 feet.