French Oak: Quercus robor

#LoveYourCampus Interactive Botanical tour Point No. 18

Species: Quercus robur L. , French Oak

Family: Fagaceae

The French Oak has a few family members which includes the beech, chestnut, and chinquapin.

This majestic tree has fruits, called acorns, which are nuts carried in a cup-like structure that is pedunculate (elongated) in shape, carrying only one seed, and can take anywhere between 6 and 24 months to develop, when the tree is between 20-50 years old^1,4. The French oak has broad glossy, dark green leaves that are round lobed. This tree has a broad crown and can provide a lot of shade. This enormous tree can reach a height of 12.2 -15.2m and need a space range between 3-4.6m. This tree blooms in the springtime and can withstand low temperatures between -29°C to -23°C since it is native to Europe¹. The pollen of the blooms is dispersed by the wind from the male flowers, which are limp catkins. The female flowers are a little nutlet that eventually develops into a cupule⁹. Every year, an oak tree can produce more than 2 000 acorns, but only one in every 10 000 acorns will eventually grow into an oak tree⁴.

Figure 1:Quercus robur, Sim Elliot,iNaturalist.

 Figure 2: acorns produced by the tree Sasha Ugnivenko, iNaturalist.

Figure 3: Flowers of the English oak. csakdiki, iNaturalist

The grain of French oak features very recognizable wavy patterns. Additionally, French oak fumes well, turning a deep walnut-brown colour⁵.

The world’s best oak woodlands are found in France. Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's finance minister, took the appropriate action in 1669. He restructured and expanded France’s woods, planting high-quality oak species appropriate for the construction of a navy to counter the British. Napoleon continued this legacy by outlawing any tree cutting without official permission in 1803. In 1805 he ruled that every oak that was cut down had to be older than 150 years and must be replaced by a brand-new, premium oak⁵.

Since the beginning of human civilization in Europe, these oaks have played a significant role by providing wood for fuel, acorns for cattle, bark for tanning, and timber for building. The oak was regarded as a sacred tree by everyone from the Greeks to the Germans, Slavs, and Celts. As a result, the oak is commonly used as a national or regional symbol, as seen on the coinage of Germany, Croatia, and the United Kingdom as well as in Bulgaria's coat of arms.

The decline of natural forests and the rise in demand for oak wood products have affected the development of modern silviculture⁶.

This magnificent tree on our campus predates 1953 in its planting date; it was probably planted by Barend Elbrecht, the founder of the botanical garden collections of the University of Pretoria. It was heard through the grapevine that the tree was planted from an acorn collected in Franschhoek that was brought from France, after the town was colonised by the French Huguenots. Soon after the Dutch East India Company arrived in the Cape it was discovered that the Boland region had a particularly suitable climate for winemaking. This led to great numbers of oak plantations being planted to aid farmers after the wine industry boomed, resulting in Stellenbosch’s nickname, Eikestad (Oaktown).

Wine has to be stored in wooden barrels for it to mature and for the aging of expensive wines, French oak is highly popular. Compared to the other major varieties of oak, it has a tendency to add flavor components in a more subdued manner. Because they "soak up" flavor easier than other grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the perfect pairing for French Oak (such as Cabernet Sauvignon) ^2,3. Sadly, it was later discovered that the South African oak timber had a distinct structure and was less effective than its European relatives in producing wine barrels. Historically the tree, most especially the bark has been medicinally used for its anti-inflammatory, tonic, decongestant and haemostatic properties; although the galls, seeds and seed cups are also used⁷.

The old oaks now serve as a reminder of the tenacity and resilience of the farmers who cultivate the land and care for the vines as well as the history of South Africa's "New World" wine industry. However, for the most part, they merely provide excellent shade for laying on the grass, enjoying a glass of wine on a Sunday afternoon.

Text prepared by Christina de Kock and Jacqueline Harvey, 2022 BOT 366 class.