Quercus virgiliana - chestnut oak (Forest honeycomb)

Medium-sized deciduous tree, up to 10-12 m tall, which in ideal conditions reaches 18-20 m. Its crown is broad and rounded, especially in isolated individuals. The bark is light grey in young specimens, cracking into small plates in mature plants. The leaves, of variable shape, are up to 6-8 cm long. It has generally tapered acorns, which ripen in autumn and are light brown with a thin, slightly enveloping dome.
The chestnut oak ( Quercus virgiliana ) is closely related to the downy oak ( Quercus pubescens ) and is currently considered by botanists to be a subspecies of it ( Quercus pubescens subsp. pubescens ).

Pedoclimatic needs
It adapts to all types of soil, preferring deep and fresh ones, but it also adapts to superficial or clayey ones. It resists drought and high summer temperatures well. However, its range extends up to 1200-1400 m above sea level and is therefore also very resistant to cold, tolerating temperatures down to -18-20°C.

Curiosity
Since the acorns of this oak have a low tannin content, they have a fairly sweet taste and were therefore used in the past as a precious food reserve, hence the name "chestnut oak". For this reason, even if its range is more restricted than that of the downy oak, it is believed that its presence was greatly amplified by man who spread it to feed on its fruits.

Botanical Information

Botanical Name: Quercus virgiliana

Family: Fagaceae