Common Name: turkey oak
Type: Tree
Family: Fagaceae
Native Range: Western Asia, Europe
Zone: 6 to 8
Height: 40.00 to 60.00 feet
Spread: 40.00 to 60.00 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Description: Yellowish-green
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Shade Tree, Street Tree
Flower: Insignificant
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Drought
Noteworthy Characteristics
Quercus cerris, commonly called turkey oak, is a medium to large deciduous oak of the white oak group that typically grows 40-60’ (less frequently to 100') tall. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. Although slender in youth, it usually develops a broad pyramidal form with age. Small, rough, oblong-lanceolate, dark green leaves (to 4-5” long) have 3-8 pairs of entire or toothed lobes. Leaves remain on the tree into late fall, usually developing little fall color. Non-showy, monoecious, yellowish-green flowers bloom in spring. Male flowers appear in male catkins (2-4" long) and female flowers appear in small clusters. Fruits are acorns (to 1” long), with bristly-fringed acorn cups that cover 1/2 of the acorn. Acorns mature in the second season. Acorns are a food source for some wildlife. Deeply furrowed dark gray bark splits into thick plates.
Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for oak trees.
Specific epithet is the Latin name for this species of oak.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Turkey oak is infrequently attacked by the common diseases of oaks which include oak wilt, chestnut blight, shoestring root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots and powdery mildew. Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.
Uses
A medium shade tree for lawns, streets or parks. It is generally not available in commerce in the U.S.