Lithocarpus densiflorus
Tanbark Oak
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Lithocarpus genus in the family Fagaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Genus
- Lithocarpus
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Woodiness
- woody
- Growth rate
- slow
- Height
- 10 m
- Spread
- 10 m
- Flower type
- monoecious
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - cooked[12][13]. The seed was a staple food for several native North American Indian tribes[9]. It contains bitter-tasting tannins and there are various ways of removing them. The fastest is by soaking the ground-up seed in hot water - if the water is changed at least once the tannins should be removed within 12 hours. Traditionally, the seeds were placed in a cloth bag and either buried in swampy ground or suspended in a running stream for a few months. Once the tannins have been removed, the seed is then dried, ground into a powder and can be used as a porridge or can be mixed with cereal flours in baking bread etc[5][9]. It has a pleasant taste after it has been leached[3]. The seed is up to 25mm long and wide[11][8]. The seed is valued for its oil[3].
- Product or use
- Oil
- Plant part
- Seed
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The bark is very astringent. An infusion is used as a wash for face sores[9]. The infusion can also be held in the mouth to tighten loose teeth[9].
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Odontalgic
- Product or use
- Skin
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The bark is exceedingly rich in tannin, yielding up to 29%[1][11][2][4]. It has been used as a brown dye and also to preserve rope that is being used in water[257, K]. Wood - hard, strong, close grained, brittle. It is not commercially important and is used mainly for fuel[11][8].
- Product or use
- Dye
- Product or use
- Fuel
- Product or use
- Preservative
- Product or use
- Tannin
- Product or use
- Wood
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Canopy
Environment
- Range
- South-western N. America - Oregon and California.
- Habitat
- Woody slopes below 1500 metres[10] on fertile mountain slopes[8]. It is found on a variety of soil types, but requires a humid atmosphere if it is to thrive[11][8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 7+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame[7]. It needs to be protected from mice, squirrels and other seed eaters. The seed has a short viability but can be stored for a few months if kept cool and slightly damp - the salad compartment of a fridge is a good storage place. Germination takes place in the winter or early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. If the plants are 15cm or more tall by the summer they can be planted out into their permanent positions. Give them a good weed-excluding mulch and some protection from the cold for their first couple of years outdoors. If growth is not sufficient then grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers a deep fertile soil with medium drainage[7]. Perfectly hardy at Kew[1], trees produced seed at Kew in the very hot summer of 1989[K]. A slow-growing tree in the wild, living up to 300 - 350 years old[8]. Plants usually flower in the spring and sometimes again in the autumn[6]. The seeds take two seasons to ripen[8]. Prolific crops are usually produced every other year in the wild[8].
References
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00
Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962-00-00 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3