Oak - description, types, oak bark, beneficial properties. Big oak - a symbol of longevity

Description of oak artistic style or scientific you can write using the options presented.

Essay describing oak

Our ancestors also considered oak a symbol of power and strength. And its strong trunks served as a reliable material in construction. Today you can often hear how men are compared to this strong tree.

As you pass by, look at the edge, there he has spread out his broad shoulders majestic oak. It is the largest in the entire oak grove. This is the image that is sung in folk songs and described in legends.

Oak is a majestic tree. Probably, many years ago, some squirrel lost an acorn in this place. And now his powerful hands are reaching out to the sun. Green leaves shimmer in the rays warm light. And the thick trunk holds the branches tightly and is no longer afraid of any wind. Forest dwellers love oak because it protects them, gives them shelter and delicious treats in the form of acorns. The oak fruit has quite interesting shape in the form of a teardrop with a brown hat.

The mighty giant is not afraid of anything: neither pests nor lumberjacks. He will always find the strength to be reborn even from a stump.
But it is worth remembering that trees are our oxygen. Therefore, it is extremely stupid to neglect our mother nature.

Scientific description of oak

Oak is a deciduous tree. The size of the oak tree is impressive. Its average height is about 35 meters, although 60-meter giants are sometimes found. The thickness of oak can also be quite impressive. The oak trunk is on average about 1.5 m in diameter, covered with dark bark, dotted with cracks, twisting and wrinkled.

The shape of the tree's leaf depends on the type of oak. Oak leaves can be lobed, serrated, pinnate, and others. Oak branches are indirect, curved. This tortuosity is explained by the fact that the oak tree is very responsive to the sun's rays. As shoots grow, they are drawn towards the light and therefore change direction depending on the period of the year, weather and time of day.

The oak crown and its shape largely depend on the conditions in which the trees grow. In forests, oak trunks are mostly straight and even, while separately growing plants on the plains spread out very widely. The girth of the crowns of such oak trees is measured in meters. If a tree grew in extreme conditions, for example, with a lack of moisture or under frequent exposure to wind, the crowns of such oaks are deformed and not entirely clear and regular in shape.

1. What does English oak look like?
2. Spreading
3. Climate and soil
4. Interesting features of wood
5. Using wood
6. Construction
7. Industry
8. Leaves and acorns
9. Medicine
10. When to collect material
11. Interesting facts about oak

Common oak (lat. " Quercus robur") represents the genus Oaks of the Beech family. It is also pedunculate oak, summer, English. The tree's homeland is the forests of southern Russia and eastern Europe.

What does English oak look like?

Common oak – deciduous tree, its height reaches 50 meters, the girth of the trunk is up to 2 meters. It grows upward for an average of 200 years, then expands for the rest of its life. Using this feature, you can determine approximately how old the tree is. The lifespan of individual individuals is up to 500, or even more years.

The oldest representative of the species grows in Lithuania near the village of Stemluzh. Scientists were able to determine the approximate age of the centenarian - about 2000 years; historical documents contain his description. The Stemluzh oak tree still blooms and periodically bears fruit.

The oak root system has a main core that goes deep into the ground, due to which tree gets reliable support and high viability. Over time, lateral root processes of the first, second, third, etc., form and develop. order, the system takes on a spherical shape. The longest stem of a mature tree can be located 20 meters above the ground or deeper.

A young plant has an even light gray bark with a smooth surface; with age it darkens and thickens up to 10 cm by the end of the oak’s life, becoming covered with deep cracks.

The crown has a pyramidal structure, wide, spreading. A tree with strong branches growing alternately on a powerful trunk.

Everyone knows what an oak leaf looks like in Russia and in the world: lobed with a characteristic jagged-rounded edge of a simple shape. The veins protrude slightly from the main plane.

Oak fruits are acorns. They ripen by mid-autumn in September-October. They have a round, elongated shape, brownish-brown, sometimes yellowish in color. The fruit is recessed into a flat plush on a short stalk.

The buds are brown, scaly, ovoid with a pointed tip. The scales have a ciliated edge.

Oak fruits are set in the spring with the arrival of warmth in April-May. Flowering occurs at the same time as the leaves bloom. Flowers of different sexes:

• Women's reddish tint with a short leg;
• Men's have the appearance of yellow-green dangling earrings.

There are 2 types of wood: early and late. The early species blooms leaves in April-May, sheds them in mid-autumn until October. Flowering occurs at the same time. The late representative becomes active 2-3 weeks later than its counterpart; often the leaves remain on the branches throughout the winter and fall off in the spring with the swelling of new buds. Their appearance is practically no different.

The common oak bears fruit every 4-5 years after reaching an age of over 50 years.

Spreading

The plant does not like frost, so northern latitudes practically never occurs. It forms forests in the middle and southern regions of Russia from the Urals to the Caucasus, where its homeland is located. IN natural conditions grows in Western Europe, Western Asia and Africa.

Man spreads the species in different points Earth, but in unusual climatic conditions the tree develops worse: the trunk grows slowly, the height does not exceed 20 meters, bears fruit unstably, oak wood is often no different high quality. Oak trees are used to create interesting park compositions, decorate alleys and populate forest belts.

IN normal conditions The common species grows in river valleys and forms mixed forests. The breed favorably coexists with representatives of coniferous and deciduous trees: pine, spruce, hornbeam, birch, beech, ash, maple.

Free-standing individuals are often found.

Climate and soil

Family loves temperate climate: normal humidity, average temperatures. Mixed forests Russia is the optimal habitat for oak trees.

For a comfortable life, soils rich in minerals and organic fertilizers are required. Wet and deep gray loams of forests are optimal for tree development. In such areas, the life expectancy of the oak is maximum; the trunk actively grows and remains alive for a long time.

Useful composition of wood and fruits

Oak wood and leaves are a storehouse of various microelements used by humans in various branches of medicine and industry:

• Up to 20% of wood and leaves are tannins; they are used in medicine and the leather industry.
• Gallic and egallic organic acids;
• Carbohydrates and sugars, in particular pentosans (up to 14%);
• Flavonoids;
• Microelements (in descending order): K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Mg, Cu, Zn, Al, Cr, Ba, V, Se, Ni, Sr, Pb, B, Ca, Se, Sr.

Acorns, as fruits for reproduction, also possess a number of substances that are useful and vital for development:

• Starches;
• Proteins;
• Carbohydrates (sugars);
• Saturated oils up to 5% of the total volume.

Oak forests serve as a source of unique wood, widely used in various industries due to its unique beneficial properties:

1. Elasticity.
2. High strength and density;
3. High tensile strength in bending (95 MPa), compression (50 MPa), tensile strength (118 MPa);
4. The treated trunk retains its specifications in high humidity and under water;
5. Low shrinkage coefficient without cracking;
6. Well preserved in air;
7. The service life of structures and products reaches 100 years with proper care.

Using wood

A person uses all parts of a petiolate tree - leaves, trunk, acorns, buds. Each material has found application in different sectors of our life.

Construction

The oak trunk is the source durable wood, which is used to make building structures and products:

• Solid board;
• Parquet;
• Boards for covering walls and ceilings;
• Elements of window frames;
• Doors.

The material is durable, abrasion resistant, hard. The age of the oak directly affects the quality of the raw material: the older the plant, the stronger and more valuable the wood. Its color is uniform, its interesting texture and cut pattern look attractive and calm. Thanks to this quality, the material has found application in the furniture industry and the creation of interior items.

Industry

Use of wood common oak has become widespread in the manufacture of components for:

• Shipbuilding;
• Mining industry;
• Hydraulic structures;
• Production of barrels for winemaking;
• Horse harnesses, carts, wheels, etc.

The trunk of an adult plant serves as raw material for efficient fuel.

Leaves and acorns

When flowering begins, bees pollinate the trees, collect pollen and nectar, from which valuable honey is obtained.

Acorns from the forest serve as food for wild boars and domestic pigs. The high nutritional value of the fruit is also suitable for humans: the mature material is dried, ground into flour and used for baking. And processed in a special way acorns are added to ground chicory - it turns out healthy drink, replacing coffee.

Leaves on young branches brought from the oak forest are tied into brooms that rival birch brooms - they are just as good in a bathhouse.

Medicine

Scientific information about beneficial substances and healing properties wood allow the material to be used as an independent or accompanying treatment for many diseases of various types.

The description of tannins as an astringent and anti-inflammatory agent has existed for centuries. The active components are contained in the bark. Drugs are prescribed for pathologies gastrointestinal tract and food poisoning, for bladder and kidney problems.

A decoction of bark and leaves is used externally. The tannins in their composition help when there is a violation of the skin: wounds, abrasions, cuts, eczema, ulcers. In addition, decoctions and infusions are prescribed for gargling the throat and pharynx for acute respiratory viral infections and sore throats.

When prescribing concomitant herbal medicine, the doctor takes into account the characteristics of the main treatment, the course of the disease and the condition of the body. By combining factors, the specialist determines how long and in what form to use natural remedies. Self-treatment can only be preventive.

When to collect material

During the life and growth of a tree, the trunk acquires greater strength and density, and the material is valuable, so individuals of suitable size are selected for felling.

The bark is harvested in the month of sap flow, usually in April-May. It is dried in the open air, avoiding waterlogging.

Acorns for planting are collected in the fall, when the fruits reach their maturity. They are placed in artificial hibernation in the refrigerator or cellar until spring, after which they are germinated and placed in the ground. You can collect them in the first or second month of spring, when the snow has just melted and the acorn has not had time to take root.

It would seem that a tree is like a tree, but the species of the oak family is not so simple. Some Interesting Facts from the life of a stately plant.

1. The breed is so diverse that there are about 600 representatives of the oak fraternity around the world. Many of them are similar to each other and can only be distinguished by advanced biologists.
2. 80 years is a serious period, especially for a person’s life. And the eightieth anniversary of marriage is called an “oak” wedding.
3. There are two ways to determine how old an oak tree is: count the number of rings on the cut of the trunk or measure the circumference of the trunk in centimeters and derive the radius using the formula (circumference/2π)/2. New rings appear every year, expanding by 2-3 mm, based on this, we divide the resulting radius by 2-3 mm.

1. Oak coal has a significant burning time, but the combustible material does not hold heat well, and powerful draft is required to maintain the process.
2. Expensive construction and finishing material- bog oak. Wood enters the water either artificially or naturally long term(up to 100 years), there is a significant increase in the strength of the raw material and the acquisition of a black color.
3. For propagation, the plant in most cases uses small acorns rather than root shoots.
4. Oak forests create optimal living conditions for many representatives of flora and fauna.
5. Interesting sounds of oak can be heard: musician Bartholomaus Traubeck created a unique record using nanotechnology.

1. Forests with oaks have healing power. There is information that the leaves and bark secrete special phytoncides that remove headache and calm the nervous system.
2. The species has high electrical conductivity - oaks are more likely than other trees to be struck by lightning.
3. The lifespan of oak products can be several thousand years: in the English county of Norfolk, the Bronze Age monument Seahenge, created in the 21st century, was discovered. BC.

Oak wood has always been associated with the concept of strength, power, and health. The oak tree itself is a majestic picture. Its wood is dense, hard, heavy and highly durable. It is also characterized by resistance to moisture, rotting and various fungi.

The wood is porous with a beautiful texture. The color is brown or yellowish brown. The sapwood part of oak wood has a light yellow color. Over time, the color of its wood darkens, which, however, gives it a more noble appearance.

Oak is a long-living tree; age of more than a century is not the limit for it. The height of the oak reaches 30 meters, and the diameter is from 1.2 to 1.8 m. Oaks growing in forests are characterized by the presence of a straight trunk without knots up to 15 meters in height.

Wood density: about 700 kg/m3. Hardness: 3.7 - 3.9 Brinell.

The influence of growing conditions on the properties of wood

If we compare the properties of wood from trees grown in different natural conditions, then you can notice significant differences. The worse the soil on which the oak grows, the better its wood. That is why oak wood from the northern regions is more valued.

Thus, oak, which grows in oak forests on sandy soils, has a thick, dark-colored bark, and its wood is painted a light straw color. The hardness of the wood of such oaks is high, but it lacks elasticity.

If an oak grows near water, for example, on the banks of a river or stream, or among alder swamps, then it is called lead, water, iron or als oak. It differs from its counterparts in its straight trunk and dense crown. The bark is leathery and spotted. Its color is light gray with a bluish tint. The wood has a pink tint, the layers are large. The elasticity is very good, but when dried it tends to crack. Unusually heavy.

Intermediate varieties of trees that grow in places located between oak forests and alder bogs have average elasticity values ​​in their qualities, and lower hardness values ​​than pine forests and alders. The bark of such oaks is thick, its color is brownish-gray. Often in the butt part of these trees there are hollows, and the apical part of the trunks is dry.

Where is oak wood used?

Summer oak wood is widely used in construction, and its moisture resistance properties allow it to be used in underwater structures or the hulls of wooden floating craft. It is also good for making souvenir crafts.

Winter wood is used in carpentry, furniture and parquet production. Oak firewood - no the best option, since coal cools quickly. And to maintain combustion you need good draft. Yes, it’s such a pity valuable wood used as fuel, unless waste from other industries can be used for firewood.

Features of working with oak wood

Oak wood should be dried under natural conditions. It is not recommended to try to speed up this process as this may result in cracking.

Stained oak wood takes on a dark purple hue

In order for the wood to acquire decorative look, staining is used - for oak this is done by keeping it in water for several years. After this exposure, the color of the wood becomes dark purple and silky. The hardness of long soaking only increases, although it becomes more fragile.

When working with oak wood, you should remember that it does not like alcohol varnishes, and it is useless to use polish due to its high porosity.

Oak wood does not like oils - they form unsightly stains on its surface. This wood does not need painting because it has a beautiful natural texture and color. To finish, it is enough to cover the surface of the product with a transparent varnish, preferably one that dries quickly.

For construction purposes, it is better to use wood with a large width of annual rings. This wood is highly resistant to wear. For making furniture, souvenir crafts, wooden sculptures and turned products would be better suited light and softer wood with narrow annual rings.

Oak is considered one of the most beautiful trees and is treated with respect and love. Common oak, or pedunculate oak, grows in the European part of Russia.

Oak is a huge tree, up to 40 m tall, with a thick trunk and winding strong branches forming a wide canopy of foliage. Oaks love light very much, and their shoots change direction of growth several times a season - depending on the lighting. The branches of old oaks have bizarre bends.

Oak can live for a very long time. They will cut it down, and from the stump young shoots will stretch towards the light - thick shoots with very large leaves. They are large because all the moisture that the powerful roots pump out of the ground now feeds only them.

Oak is afraid of frost. Young leaves and stems are killed by frost in the spring. To protect itself from this disaster, the oak begins to turn green late, almost later than all the trees. You can expect everything from spring, including late frosts.

To the mighty oak tree at a young age careful care is required. Oak seedlings cannot tolerate cold, nor bright rays of the sun, nor strong wind. In the open they die. But they survive and grow in the thickets.

A grown oak tree with strong branches pushes the crowns of its neighbors apart. From above, as if through a window, the sun's rays and rain pour in. When a young oak grows stronger under these conditions, it quickly outgrows the rest of the trees. Neither the sun, nor the frost, nor the storm are scary for him anymore.

Acorns, like any fruits, appear in place of flowers, grow and form in early August. The acorn is amazing in appearance: oblong shape, “polished”, protective brownish color - that’s distinctive characteristics this fruit. Acorns are very nutritious, but tannins give them an astringent, bitter taste. If you remove these substances, then from acorns you will get nutritious product, from which you can make porridge, flatbreads and even cakes.

Oak wood is especially strong, and oak logs, once in water, do not rot, but become black and even stronger.

Among all existing trees, the oak stands out for its power. It has always been, thanks to the hardness of its wood and impressive volumes, a symbol of strength and immortality. And oak leaves have many beneficial properties.

About oaks from ancient history. Connection with the Gods

In ancient times, many nations dedicated oak to the great gods: Jupiter among the Romans, Zeus among the Greeks, etc. It is known that Jupiter communicated his will through the oracle of Dodon using the whisper of the leaves of an oak grove.

One of the forest kings of ancient Rome dedicated a grove with oak trees on the shores of the Nemi (lake) to Jupiter.

Oak wreaths made from the leaves of this amazing tree were the distinctive sign of the rulers of ancient Italy.

And the oak leaf itself was also a symbol. He was even credited with the ability to tame the kings of all animals - lions.

And the ancient Germans for people's assembly often they chose a place under a spreading oak tree. There they worshiped the god of thunder (Thor), the highest deity, just like the Lithuanians did their god Perkunas. Even ancient Japan had its own oak god - Casciano kami.

The peoples of ancient times believed that oak trees were the dwellings of living creatures, forest elves (dryads).

Oak leaf: photo. Some useful properties

The leaves contain useful tannins (as well as the bark) - quercetin and pentosans. Leaves collected before May 15 can be used for medicinal purposes.

What do I need to do? Young fresh branches with leaves in small brooms are dried in a shaded place in a suspended state. In this way, dried leaves are stored for approximately 1 year.

Oak leaf is used both externally and internally. It is good for the rapid healing of various wounds and cuts, and the scarring of ulcers.

An infusion of leaves (1 teaspoon of leaves is poured into two glasses of boiling water and infused in a warm place for 2 days) is good for bedwetting.

What are galls?

Sometimes at the end of summer, not very pleasant-looking spherical growths appear on oak leaves. These externally unsightly formations appear due to insects (gallworms) and are called galls. How does this happen? These insects lay eggs inside the leaf tissue itself, where their larvae subsequently develop. As a result, the pathologically overgrown tissue turns into a gall (“nut”).

The oak leaf (photo below) usually has green, round galls, usually attached to the bottom of the leaf.

Oddly enough, they (leaves with galls) are collected for brewing and drunk instead of tea with sugar or honey. Their decoction is also used in the form of lotions (1 glass of raw material is brewed with 1 liter of boiling water, then boiled for 5 minutes, infused and filtered).

The most useful are fresh green and unripe galls.

Therapeutic effects of galls

Let us list some of the many beneficial properties that oak leaves and their galls have:

1. They have a very good astringent property (mixed with vinegar helps with pain in the teeth and ears).

2. Excellent for promoting hair growth.

3. A good medicine against pulmonary tuberculosis.

4. Promote the healing of wounds resulting from burns.

5. Helps well with gynecological diseases.

6. An excellent remedy for various skin diseases: lichen, eczema, erysipelas, cracks in the legs and arms, ulcers.

7. Good for bleeding.

8. Even eye ulcers are cured.

9. Stops diarrhea.

Oak leaves in life and at home

Leaves of all trees (except evergreens) with the onset autumn period begin to turn yellow and, dying, fall off.

Beautiful shiny oak leaves with carved edges have the property of synthesizing the energy of the sun, which the tree needs for its growth and life. Everyone knows that a plant that does not receive ultraviolet rays dies.

By autumn, all life processes in the tree slow down. Oak leaves, which worked for him for two whole seasons (spring and summer), become unnecessary. The tree sheds them to save moisture.

But no matter what the leaf is (dry golden or fresh green), the beauty of its form always attracts and fascinates people.

Very often, designers use the image of an oak leaf in their works. Even in stores and shopping centers labels and price tags are shaped like an oak leaf. Also, in the design of various rooms, elements such as oak leaves and maple leaves are often used: on wallpaper, in patterns on curtains, upholstery, etc.

Perhaps all this is due to the fact that the oak tree itself is a symbol of strength, power, durability and stability, and people believe in this.

Oak and energy

Oak, one might say, is one of the most energetically powerful plants in Russia.

This tree in Rus' has always been considered holy. It helps people bring the necessary energy of the planet Jupiter into our world. This energy allows people to control their own destiny. She is able to give a person strength that allows him not only to prolong his own life, but also to provide beneficial influence on the fate of children and grandchildren, and not only.

The oak has always been a symbol of strength that cannot be defeated by anything.