Japanese emperor oak, Daimyo oak, Kashiwa
Quercus dentata

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows about 7-25 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The small branches have a yellow covering. The leaf stalk is 2-5 mm long. The leaf blade is oval and 10-30 cm long by 6-30 cm wide. The edges have a few wavy or rough teeth. There are 4-10 secondary veins on each side of the mid vein. The female flower is in the axils of leaves near the ends of young branches. They are 1-3 cm long. The cup is 1.2-2 cm long by 2-5 cm wide including the bracts. The nut is oval and 1.5-2.3 cm long by 1.2-1.5 cm wide.

There are about 600 Quercus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In China it grows in mixed forest between 100-2700 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 7-9. Hobart Botanical Gardens. In Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China (country/location of origin), Japan (country/location of origin), Korea, Manchuria, Mongolia, Taiwan, Tasmania

How it is used for food

The leaves are wrapped around festive rice cakes called kashiwa mochi to flavour the cakes. The acorns are roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The acorns are also a source of starch.

Edible parts

Seeds, nuts, leaves - flavouring

How it is grown

It is slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Kom-ni, Konmu-ni, Tteokgalnamu

Synonyms

Quercus daimio (K.Koch.) ; Quercus obovata Bunge;