Oaks of the World

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  Quercus variabilis
Author Blume 1851 Mus. Bot. 1: 297
Synonyms bungeana Forbes 1884
chinensis Bunge 1833, nom. illeg. not Abel 1818
moulei Hance 1875
serrata Carruthers not Thunb. nor S. & Z.
serrata var. chinensis Wenz. 1886
variabilis var. megaphylla T.B.Chao 1981
variabilis var. pyramidalis T.B.Chao & al. 1981
Local names shuan pi li ;
Range Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Tibet; to 3400 m; introduced in Europe in 1861;
Growth habit reaches 25 m in the wild (smaller in cultivation); open, spreading crown;
Leaves 8-15 x 2-5 cm; oboval; apex pointed; base rounded or remotely cuneate; margin with 15-18 pairs of teeth ending in cusp; dark, shiny, rich green above, with dense stellate greyish tomentum; minutely silvery stellate pubescent beneath; 9-16 vein pairs; petiole 2.5-3 cm long, pale green;
Flowers April-May
Fruits acorn 1-2 cm long, subglobose; stalkless; almost all enclosed by cup; cup with long, reflected scales; maturing in 2 years;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark corky, strongly furrowed, pinkish grey to brown grey; twig olive brown to pale brown, almost hairless, somewhat shiny, becoming grey brown; buds narrow, pointed, 5 mm long;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy; prefers dry soils; rather slow-growing;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : n° 121;
-- Sub-genus Cerris, section Cerris, sub-section Campylolepides (with acutissima and chenii);

Subspecies and
varieties
Pictures

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