''Quercus crispula'', commonly known as mizunara from the Japanese, is a deciduous broad-leaved tree of the genus ''
Quercus
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ' ...
''. As ''Quercus mongolica'' var. ''crispula'', it is considered a variety of ''
Mongolian oak'' by some authorities,
Quercus Crispula Blume
WFO (2020): Quercus crispula Blume. Published on the Internet at http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000290363. Accessed 2020-03-03 and is widely distributed in Northeast Asia.
Description
It prefers a colder climate than the closely related '' Quercus serrata'' and Kunugi (''Quercus acutissima
''Quercus acutissima'', the sawtooth oak, is an Asian species of oak native to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia) and the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, northeastern India). It is widely planted in many la ...
''). It grows naturally from the mountains of Japan to the subalpine zone. Along with beech, it is one of the main tree species of deciduous broad-leaved forest in Japan, preferring slightly brighter places than beech. The tree height reaches 35 m in large ones. The leaves are dull green and have sharp serrations (jagged contours) that are more wavy than a typical oak. Flowers of about 5 cm in length bloom in May–June, and the acorns ripen in the fall.
Use
Mizunara is most widely known outside Japan for its use in barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s to age Japanese and Scotch
Scotch most commonly refers to:
* Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland"
**Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people:
***Scots language ("Broad Scotch")
*** Scottish G ...
whisky. It has received international acclaim as a material that can brew a delicate flavor completely different from oak barrels. The heartwood is dull brown, with excellent workability, colorability, high strength, and solid feeling. The wood is used in high-end furniture, building materials, and alcohol barrels. In particular, Hokkaido
is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...
varieties were considered to be of good quality, and they were called Japanese oak, and were exported and gained prominence.
They have also become popular since the 20th century for the cultivation of shiitake
The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a medicinal mushroom in some forms of traditional medicine.
T ...
mushrooms.
During the Jōmon period
The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a ...
, it was important as a preserved food for winter in the eastern part of Japan. It was eaten in mountain villages until recently, but is rarely eaten now. The acorns of ''Quercus crispula'' contain astringent tannins and cannot be eaten as they are, but must be processed to become edible.
Related images
References
External links
* line drawing, Flora of China Illustrations vol. 4, fig. 365, 1-3
Quercus, crispula
{{Quercus-stub