Quercus imbricaria, shingle oak USDA H5-hardy. This item will require the large box delivery upgrade(£10.00+vat) which you should add to your bag from the delivery options category on the front page of the webshop, unless you intend to collect
15-25m, round, half open crown. Yellow/purple Autumn leaf, tolerant of dry soils
Young specimens of this handsomely shaped tree start out with a pyramidal crown which later becomes almost round. The trunk remains smooth for many years: only in older specimens does the bark become somewhat rough and grooved. Young twigs are bare and light brown. The leaves are elongated oval, 7 - 17 cm long and 2.5 -5 cm wide. They have a smooth and slightly undulating edge. On the upper side they are glossy dark green, on the underside light green and covered with grey hairs. The brownish-red central vein is a remarkable feature. In the autumn the leaves turn yellowish-brown. The acorns are single or in pairs and are half enclosed by the cupule. The latter is thickly covered with small, contiguous, reddish-brown scales. Q. imbricaria is one of the finest oaks for use in parks and is particularly remarkable for its exceptional leaf shape. In earlier times the wood of the trunk of Quercus imbricaria was made to make roof tiles (shingles). The Latin word for 'rainstorm' (imber) appears in its name.
