Qu'Maen Oak
| Qu'Maen Oak Conservation status: Conservation Dependent | ||||||||||||||||
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| Quercus michauxii maenichauxii | ||||||||||||||||
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The Qu'Maen Oak (Quercus maenichauxii) is a species of oak in the Quercus genus, like the Algar Oak, native to bottomlands and wetlands in the northern and central Qu'Maen Plains, from Cerdic and Trent, Algar, Onsiry and Ca'Lodren, Powysia in the east and Silmuir, Powysia in the south; it is rare south of the Qu'Maen Plains in Domnonia. Variants of the Qu'Maen Oak can also be found in wetlands throughout the eastern IDU mainland.
Appearance
The Qu'Maen Oak closely resembles the Rush River Oak, and for that reason has sometimes been treated as a variety of that species. However, the Qu'Maen Oak is a larger tree which differs in preferred habitat, and the bark does not have the distinctive deep, rugged ridging of the Rush River Oak, being thinner, scaly, and paler gray. It typically grows to around 20 m tall, though the tallest specimen currently known is 40m tall.
The leaves are simple, long and broad, with lobe-like, rounded teeth on each side. The fruit is an acorn usually 3 cm long; it is mature in the fall, about 6 months after pollination.
Occurrence
Native
Non-native
Significance
The Qu'Maen Oak is also called "Cow Oak" because of its large, relatively sweet(for a cow) acorns, which are readily eaten by livestock. However, these trees will only bear heavy crops at intervals of several years. It is also sometimes called "Weaving Oak" because of its high-quality wood, which can be sliced into flexible strips suitable for basket weaving. The wood is similar to, and usually marketed mixed with, other oaks.
It is sometimes cultivated as a large garden tree, and is quite easy to grow if it is not subject to extreme urban conditions.
