TesToak Your wisdom Welcome to Lift the flaps to check your answers. Shields Grove

What do all How many kinds of Where do oaks have in common? oaks are there? grow in the wild? Special Collections, Shields Library Shields Oak Grove is named for Judge Peter J. Shields, often called the father of the UC Davis campus. Judge Shields and his wife Carolee created a fund to provide support for the ’s land along the waterway.

How tall do How long do What are oak oaks get? oaks live? apples? Debbie Aldridge Dr. John M. Tucker was a professor of , director of the Arboretum (1965-66 and 1972-84), and a prominent oak researcher. Many of the oaks in Shields Oak Grove were started in the 1960s from collected from around the world for his research. Explore Shields Oak Grove to learn more about these amazing . Dr. Tucker created an endowment to help preserve the Grove for future generations. Contact the UC Davis Arboretum to learn J more about supporting Shields Peter . Shields Oak Grove Oak Grove and other giving arboretum.ucdavis.edu opportunities. Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services TesToak Your wisdom Welcome to Lift the flaps to check your answers. Shields Oak Grove

• Oaks are trees and shrubs

that belong to the genus T r opic of Cancer

Quercus, meaning “fine ” Equator

T r opic of Capricorn

Allan Jones • Oaks have acorns—nuts that grow in a scaly cup Debbie Aldridge • There are approximately 500 species of oak Quercus trees and shrubs in the world • Oaks have tassel-like hanging Oaks are native to the Northern Hemisphere, from

; their pollen is • The UC Davis Arboretum collection includes the cold northern latitudes to tropical Southeast Special Collections, Shields Library distributed by the wind about 100 species, varieties, and hybrids and Central America. Shields Oak Grove features oaks Shields Oak Grove is named for Judge Peter J. from around the world.

Allan Jones Shields, often called the father of the UC Davis campus. Judge Shields and his wife Carolee created a fund to provide support for the Arboretum’s land along the waterway.

• 400 years—oldest An oak apple, or gall, is 320’ native valley oak not a at all. When a Oaks grow from (Quercus lobata) in tiny wasp injects its egg 2 feet to 200 feet the Arboretum into an oak twig, the tree 200’ tall—they are • 1,500 years—oldest forms a growth of extremely variable English oaks (Quercus tissue, called a gall, around in appearance. robur)—This 1,000 the egg. The gall provides

The Persian oaks Debbie Aldridge 80 year old tree grows in food and protection for the

in front of you are Galli Sherwood Forest 40 wasp larva as it matures D r . John M. Tucker was a professor of botany, 6’ about 90 feet tall. 20 Emily Griswold and eats its way out—look director of the Arboretum (1965-66 and 1972-84), Statue of Liberty Oak Tree Person • 13,000 years—shrub oak (Quercus palmeri) in Riverside County, for the tiny exit hole. and a prominent oak researcher. Many of the oaks in Shields Oak Grove were started in the 1960s from acorns collected from around the world for his research. Explore Shields Oak Grove to learn more about these amazing trees. D r . Tucker created an endowment to help preserve the Grove for future generations. Contact the UC Davis Arboretum to learn J more about supporting Shields Peter . Shields Oak Grove Oak Grove and other giving arboretum.ucdavis.edu opportunities. Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Wh aoaks t Do look like white oak Quercus alba temperate This white oak (Quercus alba) is what someone from the eastern forests of the eastern U.S. U.S. would consider a typical oak, but... oaks are variable. What Do All Oaks Have in Common? bur oak Quercus macrocarpa • Oaks belong to the genus Quercus and the temperate forests of the plant family , the family central and eastern U.S. • Oaks have acorns – nuts borne in a scaly cup bur oak Quercus macrocarpa valley oak • Oaks have tassel-like (hanging male temperate forests of the Quercus lobata flowers) that release pollen in spring central and eastern U.S. interior valleys of California

mesa oak Quercus engelmannii coastal southern California

coast live oak All acorns and are actual size coastal hills of California coast live oak netleaf oak Quercus rugosa gray oak Quercus agrifolia mountains of Quercus grisea coastal hills of California southwest U.S. and Mexico

oak of Tabor Quercus ithaburensis All photos were taken by Allan Jones Oaks rely on wind to carry pollen from the male eastern Mediterranean region kermes oak kermes oak Quercus coccifera Quercus coccifera Chinese oak Chisos red oak flowers (shown here) to the female flowers, which Mediterranean region rocky hillsides of Quercus variabilis Quercus gravesii are tiny and nondescript. the Mediterranean temperate forests of east Asia desert mountains of west region

Turkish oak mountains of southern and Asia Minor These are all different kinds of oaks. Can you find leaves and acorns that look like these in Shields Oak Grove? Peter J. Shields Oak Grove arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services If ThIstree Could Talk Growing up in a living museum of Noah’s Ark for Oaks?

Age 46 – As a member of the North American Plant 2009 Collections Consortium (NAPCC) Multisite Sampled and Pressed Oak Collection, we, along with a growing Arboretum volunteers collected list of other public gardens, have committed to maintain our oak collection at the highest and pressed samples of my stems to horticultural and museum standards to ensure add to the UC Davis Herbarium (a its long-term preservation for research, teaching, collection of pressed plant samples), and conservation. Although large, the Arboretum’s collection so researchers can study me and Age 44 – A Great Honor includes only 14% of the 500 oak species that make sure I’m properly identified. 2007 occur worldwide. Oaks come from a broad range The Arboretum oak collection was of climate and soil conditions, and no single garden can grow every kind of oak. By partnering inducted into the North American with gardens from different climate zones across Plant Collections Consortium. I’m , together we can preserve more oak species, hybrids, and horticultural varieties than now part of an important national any of us could on our own. collection!

Emily Griswold

Age 43 – On the Map 2006 Student mappers determined my GPS Dawn Spinella

location and added Google me to a new digital Age 40 – Health Check-up map. Researchers 2003 Members of the NAPCC can now find me I get periodic Multisite Oak Collection on a map on the health checks (as of 2010) Arboretum website. from an arborist, • Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL or tree doctor. In • Cornell Plantations, Ithaca, NY 2003, my health • Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO Age 36 – A New Label 1999 was rated as good. • Donald E. Davis Arboretum, Auburn, AL I got a new label that helps visitors • Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, OH identify me and learn where my • Landis Arboretum, Esperance, NY species grows in the wild. • Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, MO Emily Griswold • Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA • The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL Age 20– • Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA 1983 • New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY Becoming a Mature Tree • Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Around this time Claremont, CA • Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, I started flowering Swarthmore, PA The Sapling Years every spring and • Starhill Forest Arboretum, Petersburg, IL 1970s making acorns every • UC Davis Arboretum, Davis, CA fall. UC Davis classes • The University of California Botanical Garden, started to come here Berkeley, CA Age 2 – Planting • University of Washington Botanic Gardens, 1965 to study me and the Seattle, WA I was so small when other oaks. the gardener planted Allan Jones me here from my Are Oaks Threatened? In California and worldwide, many oak species nursery pot that I had are threatened with extinction by urbanization, to be hand-watered and clearing for agriculture, livestock grazing, protected from rabbits overharvesting, and global climate change. A with a wire cage. Joining the Scientific recent global study of oaks found 29 species to 1963 be critically endangered or endangered and 27 Collection more species to be vulnerable. In Shields Oak Grove, oak (Quercus parvula) My Wild Origins The curator gave and Brandegee oak (Quercus brandegeei) from Baja A UC Davis student collected my my an California are both considered endangered. acorn in west Texas while working accession number for botany professor John Tucker. (A63.0009) to track my life and times in Allan Jones the Arboretum.

start here Emily Griswold Peter J. Shields Oak Grove arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Should I Growoak an Recommended Oaks for the Central Valley You decide. Many oaks thrive in hot Central Valley summers, VALLEY OAK Quercus lobata Mighty oak of but some are too big for urban gardens. the Central Valley is upright and fast-growing when young. It grows to 50-70 ft. tall with a spreading crown To grow... or not to grow? as it matures. Tolerates moderate irrigation, heat, • Picturesque spreading branches add • Trees that are too big for the site can and alkaline soils and is cause problems for home gardeners immune to Sudden Oak beauty to the garden; mature trees Death. increase property values • Pruning large trees can be expensive, • Many oaks are long lived and and spreading roots can lift sidewalks ENGLISH OAK Quercus robur drought tolerant, provide shade, and damage foundations Fairly fast-growing and require little maintenance • litter and acorns can be messy deciduous tree to 50- 60 ft. tall with a wide • Contrary to popular belief, • Evergreen oaks create deep shade open canopy. There are also upright forms many oak species grow that makes it hard to grow other with narrow canopies. rapidly and tolerate normal Tolerates occasional plants to frequent watering. garden irrigation • Native oaks and lawns are Immune to Sudden Oak Death. • Oaks support native not compatible—frequent wildlife like jays, irrigation can cause fungal , insects, and diseases in some oaks songbirds • Deep-rooted seedlings can be a • Some oaks, like valley challenge to weed oak, are resistant to • Some oaks, like coast live oak, Sudden Oak Death, a are susceptible to Sudden Oak disease that is epidemic SOUTHERN LIVE OAK Quercus virginiana Death disease in coastal regions Picturesque evergreen oak of the South, with wide, in coastal northern open canopy of glossy leaves. Grows moderately (not currently a problem in the fast to 40 ft. tall and wide. Tolerates irrigation or California (not currently a Central Valley) dry conditions. Immune to Sudden Oak Death. problem in the Central Valley) GAMBEL OAK Small, rugged oak to 30 ft. tall, deciduous, adaptable to many soil types and moisture levels. Fast J grower on rich soil. Peter . Shields Oak Grove Can be multi-trunked. arboretum.ucdavis.edu Immune to Sudden Oak Death. All sidebar photos: Emily Griswold Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Wh a t Can Why is over-watering bad for lant nder California native oak trees? I P U Diseases such as oak root fungus, caused by oaks Armillaria fungus, and root rot, caused by Phytophthora water molds, are encouraged by If your oak is native to a region that is dry in summer, summer watering and can kill mature trees. like California or the Mediterranean basin, you need plants that like dry shade. Because over-watering can harm mature native oaks, plants grown under these oaks need to thrive with low summer water. Many California native plants are good oak partners Jack Kelly Clark because they can grow well with deep watering once or twice a month. Armillaria mushrooms at the base of an infected tree

O . A K K O. Try these oak partners: Deergrass © 2005 Louis M. Landry (Muhlenbergia rigens)

Canyon snow Pacific iris(Iris douglasiana) California fescue (Festuca californica) Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) Jack Kelly Clark Armillaria fungus under the bark of an shrubs infected tree Snowberry Nikhil Joshi (Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus) Ellen Zagory grasses perennials Ellen Zagory Emily Griswold Visit the Arboretum website (arboretum.ucdavis.edu) for more information on these and other local favorites. Peter J. Shields Oak Grove arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services A single western scrub-jay can harvest up to 7,000 ripe Global “Gardeners” acorns in the fall Jays “plant” oaks all around the world. In fact, jays in California. live wherever oaks grow. By burying acorns, many j species of jays have helped oaks spread across ays: North America, Europe, and Asia. AccidentAl GArdeners © Neal Kramer Jays “plant” oak trees by stashing their acorns underground. Creative Commons Attribution The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY “plants” valley oak (Quercus lobata) acorns here in Davis.

Covering the acorns with Allan Jones leaves or pebbles helps hide them from other jays and The jay carries acorn thieves like squirrels. the acorns Any leftover acorns away and can start to grow buries them The jay can remember into new oak trees. one at a time. where the acorns are “planted” for up to eight westernviews.us The GREEN JAY “plants” netleaf oak (Quercus months and will dig them rugosa) acorns in Mexico. up to eat later in the year.

Allan Jones

FALL winter spring J. Fouarge, Aves-Natagora

The EURASIAN JAY “plants” Persian oak (Quercus castaneifolia) J acorns in the Caucasus Mountains Peter . Shields Oak Grove of Eurasia. arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Wine, Dine, Write, Ride This English Oak Does it All! Lift and learn how different parts of the English oak have been used throughout the ages. English Oak Quercus robur Dine? Honor? www.euforgen.org Distribution of English oak, Quercus robur. Also called le chêne pédonculé (French), die Stieleiche (German), kocsányos tölgy (Hungarian), el roble (Spanish), sommereik (Norwegian), la farnia (Italian), ficheiro (Portuguese), stejarul (Romanian), tammi (Finnish), dosya (Turkish), zomereik (Dutch), and dub letní (Czech). • English oak is native to Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of North Africa Sail? Write? • Trees may live up to 1,500 years • Reaches 50–70 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 12 feet Cultural importance • Oaks were sacred to Norse, Celtic, Slavic, Teutonic and Greek peoples • English oak’s ancient Celtic name Duir means door—the tree was considered a threshhold to other dimensions • Druids built sacred circles of stones under spreading oaks or in oak groves

Ride? Wine? Ceoil Quercus robur, English Oak Carrigagulla stone circle and oaks, County Cork, Ireland • In Bronze-Age Europe, oaks were associated with gods of thunder and lightning. Hercules called up thunderstorms by rattling an oak club in a hollow oak. The English still say, “Beware of an oak, it draws Peter J. Shields Oak Grove the stroke.” arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Wine, Dine, Write, Ride This English Oak Does it All! Lift and learn how different parts of the English oak have been used throughout the ages. English Oak People have pastured pigs and Quercus robur other livestock in English oak English oak leaves have been used woodlands to feed on acorns for as symbols of courage, strength, thousands of years. Iberian ham and honor in many cultures. from Spain, Alentejo ham from The oak leaf wreath shown here Portugal, and Westphalian ham came from a burial site in the from Germany are all produced Dardanelles (modern ) from Chris Rorres Jim Champion from pigs fed on acorns. the 4th Century BC. www.euforgen.org Distribution of English oak, Quercus robur. Also called le chêne pédonculé (French), die Stieleiche (German), kocsányos tölgy (Hungarian), el roble (Spanish), sommereik (Norwegian), la farnia (Italian), ficheiro (Portuguese), stejarul (Romanian), tammi (Finnish), dosya (Turkish), zomereik (Dutch), and dub letní (Czech). • English oak is native to Europe, Asia Minor, Wood from the trunk and branches of English oak has been Ink made from oak galls (round the Caucasus, and parts of North Africa prized as a shipbuilding material growths caused by insects) was the • Trees may live up to 1,500 years over the centuries for its strength standard writing and drawing ink and flexibility. Viking ships, the in England and the rest of Europe • Reaches 50–70 feet tall with a trunk diameter of great ocean-going vessels of the from about the 12th century to the 12 feet early middle ages, were built of the 19th century, and remained in use

James Cridland wood of English oak trees. well into the 20th century. Cultural importance • Oaks were sacred to Norse, Celtic, Slavic, Teutonic and Greek peoples • English oak’s ancient Celtic name Duir means door—the tree was considered a threshhold to other dimensions • Druids built sacred circles of stones under spreading oaks or in oak groves

English oak wood has been used The tannic acid found in oak bark to make wine barrels for centuries was the original substance used to for its water-tight properties. Aging tan (preserve) leather, such as that wine in oak barrels can affect its Rooster’s Saddlery, LLC, 406-363-2478 Saddlery, Rooster’s

used to make saddles. flavor, color and texture. Sanjay Acharya Ceoil Carrigagulla stone circle and oaks, County Cork, Ireland • In Bronze-Age Europe, oaks were associated with gods of thunder Quercus robur, English Oak and lightning. Hercules called up thunderstorms by rattling an oak club in a hollow oak. The English still say, “Beware of an oak, it draws Peter J. Shields Oak Grove the stroke.” arboretum.ucdavis.edu Sign made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services