Walking into Mt. Pisgah Arboretum you are greeted by the iconic Oregon White Oak and it is the logo of the arboretum. This beautiful, mighty tree is vital to creating a diverse ecosystem and produces nutritious acorns which are a food source for many animals. When the acorns are ripe, jays can be seen carrying them off in every direction to cache them for the winter.
We all know acorns, and I will often hear children refer to oak trees as acorn trees. That said, I imagine that most people are not as familiar with the female flower that gives rise to this nutritious nut. I am here to introduce you to this tiny flower that can easily be overlooked. They grow from the axils (where the leaf stalk meets the stem) of the new leaves. The Washington State Native Plant Society describes the flowers as: “The pistillate flowers grow singly or clustered. Each pistillate flower is surrounded by a scaly, cup-like involucre, contains an inferior ovary and 3 styles.”
Okay. I see the small acorn flower. What I can’t find described or mentioned is the red-tipped appendage that is growing up from the base next to the flower. It seems like it is part of the flower in some way, but I haven’t found any reference to it in any of my research, so far. There is only one, even if it is a pair or a cluster of three flowers. What is that structure and how does it fit in?
The last three photos below show small acorns forming. I took the photos of them last year on May 30.
I hope you are enjoying spring and are finding time to get out and explore.
Reference
Quercus Garryana Var. Garryana. https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/232-quercus-garryana-var-garryana. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
