Daimyo oak is an East Asian oak with some of the biggest leaves of any oak, often 4–12 in (10–30 cm) long or more. It is not native to North America, and in the US it turns up mainly in arboretums and botanical gardens. Its acorns sit in shaggy cups covered with long, curling scales.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous tree, typically 35–65 ft (10–20 m) tall in the wild, with the best trees reaching about 80 ft (25 m). Planted trees in the US are slow-growing and round-headed.
- Leaves
- Broad, wavy-edged leaves up to about 1 ft (30 cm) long, with very short stalks and soft fuzz underneath. Dead brown leaves often hang on the branches all winter.
- Flowering time
- Spring (May in its native range)
- Fruit
- Rounded acorns about 5/8–3/4 in (1.5–2 cm) long ripen in September–October, in cups covered with long, narrow, downy scales.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- dry hillsides
- coastal forests
- arboretums
- Range
- Native to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East. It is not native to the US; one place you can see it is the Dawes Arboretum in Ohio.
- Preferred conditions
- In the wild it tolerates poor, dry, or volcanic soils and salty coastal wind.
Growing it
- Care
- Listed as hardy to USDA zone 5. It wants full sun and well-drained soil.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- 'Pinnatifida' is an old Japanese garden form with deeply cut, narrow, crinkled leaf lobes.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Japan its leaves wrap kashiwa mochi, rice cakes eaten on Children's Day (May 5), and three oak leaves are a common design in family crests.
- In Korea its acorns have long been ground for dotorimuk, a savory acorn jelly.
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