Quercus myrsinifolia Seeds | Bamboo-leaved Oak
LATIN NAME: Quercus myrsinifolia
COMMON NAME: Bamboo-leaved Oak
Plant Profile
Bamboo-leaved oak is an evergreen ring-cupped oak from Japan, Korea and southern China, where it grows in lowland woods and around old temples. It makes a rounded tree eight to fifteen metres tall, with narrow, leathery, finely toothed leaves that do resemble bamboo foliage.
New growth flushes purple-red in spring before hardening to deep green, and the small acorns ripen in their second autumn. The crown is dense enough to cast deep shade, which is why the tree is often used as a hedge and as a screen rather than as a lawn specimen. The acorn cups are ringed with concentric scales, a feature of its group.
Science & Biotechnology
The species sits in Cyclobalanopsis, the ring-cupped oaks, a group that DNA work has placed inside Quercus but which still causes argument over species limits across East Asia. Its acorns have been analysed for tannin content, since they are eaten in Japan after leaching, and its leaves appear in studies of evergreen broadleaf forest structure.
Horticultural work in Japan has selected forms for leaf colour and compact habit, and the species is one of the standard evergreen oaks of Japanese garden practice. Its wood anatomy has also been described, since the timber is denser than that of most oaks of its size.
Uses & Benefits
In Japan it is a common street and garden tree, and it is one of the best evergreen oaks for hedging and for bonsai, since it tolerates hard pruning and root restriction. The wood is hard, dense and pale, used for tool handles and small turnery.
Acorns are bitter and need soaking, but they are eaten in times of scarcity and are valuable for wildlife, taken by jays, wood pigeons and mice. In the garden the evergreen canopy gives year-round shelter for birds, and the spring flush of purple new growth is the main ornamental moment.
The tree is also grown as a screen along boundaries, where its evergreen canopy blocks views and wind without the bulk of a conifer. In Japan it is one of the species used for the small-leaved hedges around temple precincts, clipped twice a year into a flat, dense surface that keeps its shape through winter.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh acorns in autumn, two centimetres deep in a deep pot, and keep them cool and moist; they germinate in late winter. The seedling makes a long taproot at once, so avoid moving it.
Plant out in sun or light shade in well-drained soil, and water through the first two summers. It tolerates clipping into a hedge and can be grown in a large container for years, though the roots will eventually demand more room. Old plants can be cut back hard in spring, and the tree will break from old wood, though it rarely needs it.
Our Take
A steady, handsome evergreen oak that earns its place as a hedge, a specimen or a long-term bonsai. It is slower than a laurel and far better looking.
Related Reading
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