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q_xchocha.jpg

Ever since the genus Quercus grabbed my attention, I have been amazed by the ability of oaks to hybridize easily (sometimes too easily), even when the species involved don't share habitat in the wild.

The Hills Are Alive with Oaks

Quercus sinuata

Copenhagen Hills Preserve is an ecological gem.  With its unique calcium-rich soils, it hosts a plethora of plant communities, ranging from pine forests and prairies to bottomlands and swamps.  This cornucopia of habitats is home to many rare and indigenous plants, such as purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea), three-flowered hawthorn (Crataegus triflora), and, of course, a variety of uncommon oak species.

Micropropating oaks

A reliable asexual propagation method for oaks is crucial for introducing superior hybrid oak selections into the nursery trade as named cultivars. 

Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy and the Kotschy Oak

kotschy_from_lack.jpg

Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy was an Austrian botanist and eminent plant explorer. He died 150 years ago in Vienna on June 11, 1866.

Vallonea or Aegilops Oaks, a Short Review

quercus_ithaburensis_native_habitat.jpg

A review of the assemblage of the oaks known as the "vallonea oaks" or "aegilops oaks" from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.

Oak Red Listing Project Update

Quercus oglethorpensis seedlings, Jasper Co., Georgia, USA

In January, 2015, The Morton Arboretum launched a project in collaboration with BGCI and the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, which aims to complete IUCN Red List threat assessments for all of the world's oak species. 

Garry Oak Project

Garry oak along the waterfront of Oak Harbor

The newly founded Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society in Oak Harbor, Washington is committed to the stewardship of Garry oak trees through outreach, education and preservation.

Truffle-oaks in Argentina

Truffle-oaks in Espartillar, Argentina.

Where were most oaks planted in Argentina during the last three years? One might guess that it would be in one of the collections of the few quixotic quercophiles in that country, or perhaps a landscape designer with a preference for Quercus was responsible, or a particularly zealous specialist nursery.

Q. xintrogressa

This unusual hybrid was described by Paul Thomson in 1977 from a location in Lafayette County, Missouri. 

Pages

Editor's Picks

Group photo at Harvard Herbarium
The Harvard University Herbaria hosted a novel Oak Taxonomy...
Jeannine Cavender-Bares | Apr 21, 2026
Morgan and friends in Argentina
Visits to three collections of Quercus in Buenos Aires...
Morgan Santini | Apr 05, 2026
Michel Duhart and Paco Garin at Jardín Botánico Wilson, Costa Rica
On April 1st, the very day he turned 103, a great friend...
Francisco Garin Garcia | Apr 05, 2026

Plant Focus

Quercus orocantabrica
Roderick Cameron and Carlos Vila-Viçosa give an account of this intriguing species from northwestern Iberia with a complex taxonomic and...

Dendrology

q_xchocha.jpg

Ever since the genus Quercus grabbed my attention, I have been amazed by the ability of oaks to hybridize easily (sometimes too easily), even when the species involved don't share habitat in the wild.

The Hills Are Alive with Oaks

Quercus sinuata

Copenhagen Hills Preserve is an ecological gem.  With its unique calcium-rich soils, it hosts a plethora of plant communities, ranging from pine forests and prairies to bottomlands and swamps.  This cornucopia of habitats is home to many rare and indigenous plants, such as purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea), three-flowered hawthorn (Crataegus triflora), and, of course, a variety of uncommon oak species.

Micropropating oaks

A reliable asexual propagation method for oaks is crucial for introducing superior hybrid oak selections into the nursery trade as named cultivars. 

Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy and the Kotschy Oak

kotschy_from_lack.jpg

Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy was an Austrian botanist and eminent plant explorer. He died 150 years ago in Vienna on June 11, 1866.

Vallonea or Aegilops Oaks, a Short Review

quercus_ithaburensis_native_habitat.jpg

A review of the assemblage of the oaks known as the "vallonea oaks" or "aegilops oaks" from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.

Oak Red Listing Project Update

Quercus oglethorpensis seedlings, Jasper Co., Georgia, USA

In January, 2015, The Morton Arboretum launched a project in collaboration with BGCI and the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, which aims to complete IUCN Red List threat assessments for all of the world's oak species. 

Garry Oak Project

Garry oak along the waterfront of Oak Harbor

The newly founded Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society in Oak Harbor, Washington is committed to the stewardship of Garry oak trees through outreach, education and preservation.

Truffle-oaks in Argentina

Truffle-oaks in Espartillar, Argentina.

Where were most oaks planted in Argentina during the last three years? One might guess that it would be in one of the collections of the few quixotic quercophiles in that country, or perhaps a landscape designer with a preference for Quercus was responsible, or a particularly zealous specialist nursery.

Q. xintrogressa

This unusual hybrid was described by Paul Thomson in 1977 from a location in Lafayette County, Missouri. 

Pages

The International Oak Society acknowledges the generous support of the following institutions:

Supporting Institutional Members

 

Standard Institutional Members

Rice University
San Diego Botanic Garden logo
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance logo
South Carolina Botanical Garden

 

The Huntington
The John Fairey Garden