Columnar oak
As columns oak , also pyramid oak , various columnar growth are varieties of the genus of oak ( Quercus ), respectively. Often the variety 'Fastigiata' of English oak ( Quercus robur ) is meant. The side shoots grow upright , similar to a columnar poplar .
The oldest known columnar oak is the " Beautiful Oak of Harreshausen " in Babenhausen , Harreshausen district (Hesse) with an age of approx. 570 years, from which probably all of the pedunculate oak pyramid oaks descended. This oak was already known in the 18th century and the seeds were traded dearly as a botanical rarity. Today it also adorns the coat of arms of the football club and the volunteer fire department of Harreshausen. Sows contain a relatively high proportion of trees growing in columnar form. A direct descendant of this tree is in the Kassel Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe , directly below the large fountain pond. All other column oaks in the park are said to have descended from this tree.
A large number of columnar oaks have emerged from these variants, including:
- 'Fastigiata' - this variety of pedunculate oak grows slowly and reaches a height of around 20 to 25 meters. In youth it is narrow, in old age it widens into a stately column.
- 'Fastigiata Koster' - more compact and slower growing than 'Fastigiata', narrower than Fastigiata, often planted.
- 'Columna' - a cross between Quercus petraea 'Muscaviensis' and Quercus robur 'Fastigiata' , which was distributed by the Hesse tree nursery (Weener). This is more densely branched and should be less susceptible to powdery mildew.
literature
- Eike Jablonski (2006): European oak varieties - varieties, collectors and collections . Communications from the German Dendrological Society 91: 103-126.
- John Kelly, John Hillier (Ed.): The Hillier Trees & Shrubs . 1st edition, Braunschweig, Thalacker-Medien, 1997, p. 479ff. ISBN 3-87815-086-5
