Above is a photo of a mature oak tree in Pearson Park, Hull.
I was surprised to learn that there are over 500 species of oak tree globally, although all are native to the Northern Hemisphere. presumably some oaks have been introduced to areas in the Southern Hemisphere with climates similar to those to the north. The figure of 500 is largely a result of the fact that oak species hybridise easily with pollen from one type fusing with another and producing acorns that will grow into a new variety, plus new varieties cultured by tree nurseries over the years.
It is also surprising to learn that approximately half of the global species of oak are evergreen rather deciduous, this including the one above and three others nearby in the Park.
Surely, one reason why relatively many tree nurseries since the 1700s have focused on oaks is that for centuries the oak was the preferred wood for building, particularly so for timber frame construction in the Middle Ages and beyond. Many records survive of kings donating oaks from their ‘forests’ for high status building projects. By forests was meant royal hunting ‘forests’ rather than forests in the modern sense.
(to be continued)