Quercus acutissima seed

The Sawtooth oak is a fast growing shade tree that will tolerate a variety of conditions.  They are very easy to grow and are one of if not the fastest growing oak tree.  They are also excellent trees for wildlife.  They begin producing acorns at a young age of around 5 years.  Deer, squirrel, and turkey love to feast on their acorns in the fall.  Foliage typically turns a dark yellow color in the fall.

Medicinal use : The stem bark is used to clean foul sores. The seeds are used in the treatment of diarrhea , menorhagia and gastrointestinal hypertrophy. The cupule (seed cup) is astringent. Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea, dysentery etc.

Edible parts : Seed – cooked. The seed is up to  25 mm long. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds . Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. Young leaves – cooked. A famine food when all else fails. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

Other uses : A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth. Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects.A black dye is obtained from the seed cups. Wood – used for boat building and construction. The wood is also used for fuel and charcoal.