Quercus gilva Seeds | Red-bark Oak

Glossy brown Red-bark Oak acorns, one still seated in its shallow scaly cup — Red-bark Oak (*Quercus gilva*): Fagaceae, an evergreen oak of the warm-temperate forests of East Asia.

LATIN NAME: Quercus gilva

COMMON NAME: Red-bark Oak

Plant Profile

Red-bark Oak is an evergreen oak of the beech family, reaching fifteen to twenty-five metres with a dense crown of glossy, leathery leaves that are wavy-toothed and covered beneath with a close, tawny felt. Its bark is reddish brown and rough, and its acorns sit in shallow, scaly cups, ripening over two seasons.

It grows in the warm-temperate evergreen forests of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and south-eastern China, where it is one of the taller canopy trees. In Japan it is akagashi, red oak, and its timber is valued for furniture and for the handles of tools. The new growth is covered in a soft, rusty down that wears off by midsummer, and the bark darkens with age until it is almost black at the base.

Science & Biotechnology

The species belongs to the Cyclobalanopsis group of evergreen oaks, which some authors treat as a subgenus of Quercus and others as a separate genus. The dense, felty hairs on the underside of its leaves are a diagnostic feature and have been studied as an adaptation to the humid, mild winters of its range.

Its acorns take two years to ripen, a trait shared with several evergreen oaks, and the tree flowers in spring while the previous year’s acorns are still developing. The wood is hard and fine-grained, and in Japan it is used for cabinetry, flooring and the handles of traditional tools.

Uses & Benefits

The timber is the main product: hard, heavy and resistant, it is used for furniture, flooring and tool handles in Japan and China. The acorns are eaten by wildlife and were used as a famine food after leaching, and the bark has been used in tanning.

In the garden it is a tree for a mild, humid climate, grown for its evergreen canopy and its handsome bark. It is slower than the deciduous oaks and needs shelter when young, but it makes a long-lived shade tree once established. The acorns are bitter and need leaching before they are eaten, which is why they were a famine food rather than a staple.

Growing from Seed

Sow acorns as soon as they ripen, in autumn, in deep pots of loam and grit. They are recalcitrant and will not survive drying, so keep them moist and cool; germination usually follows in spring, and the taproot grows fast.

Plant out in deep, moist but well-drained soil in sun or part shade, and water through the first two summers. Protect the young tree from wind and from deer. It is hardy to about -10 °C once established but needs shelter in colder gardens, where it is better grown in a conservatory or against a warm wall. Water it in dry spells for the first three summers; after that the tree looks after itself.

Our Take

An evergreen oak with red bark and a two-year acorn, worth growing where the climate is mild and humid. Slow, handsome and long-lived.

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