Oak (original) (raw)

Oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fagales Family: Fagaceae Genus: Quercus
Species
List of Quercus species

The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of tree in the genus Quercus. The genus is native to the northern hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cold latitudes to tropical Asia.

The genus is divided into a number of subgenera, or sections, which include:

The white oaks are further subdivided into the chestnut oaks and the rest of the white oaks, while the red oaks are further subdivided into the live oaks and the rest of the red oaks.

A hardwood tree, oak is used commonly in furniture and flooring. The bark of the Quercus suber, or cork oak, is used to produce wine stoppers (corks). Some European and American oak species are used to make barrels where wine and other spirits are aged; the barrels contribute to the taste. This species grows in the Mediterranean Sea region, with Portugal, Spain, Algeria and Morocco producing most of the world's supply.

Of the North American oaks, the most prized of the red oak group for lumber, all of which is marketed as red oak regardless of the species of origin, is that of the northern red oak, Quercus rubra (aka Quercus borealis). The standard for the lumber of the white oak group, all of which is marketed as white oak, is the white oak, Quercus alba. White oak is often used for the construction of barrels for aging wine.

oak tree in summer

Some species of oak found in North America include:

Old World species of oak include:

above; bark of Quercus robur

above; timber of Quercus robur

See also; Trees of Britain, Trees of the world