Fagaceae FAMILY

Quercus glauca

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content. Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[ 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ].

Botanical Description

Quercus glauca is an evergreen tree with a dense, round or oval crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall[ 1213 Title Southern Trees Fact Sheets Publication Author Gilman E.F. Website http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_envhort-trees Publisher University of Florida, IFAS Extension Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on trees that can be grown in Florida. They can be downloaded from the Internet ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for mainly local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The wood is of verygood quality and is harvested on a commercial basis in Japan. The tree is valued as an ornamental, often being grown as a street tree.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeE. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.

HabitatMoist forests and ravines, not gregarious, 800 - 3000 metres from Pakistan to S.W. China[ 51 Title Flowers of the Himalayas. Publication Author Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Publisher Oxford Universtiy Press Year 1984 ISBN - Description A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses. ]. Shady valleys[ 158 Title Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Publication Author Gupta. B. L. Publisher Forest Research Institute Press Year 1945 ISBN - Description A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader. ].