Introductory Agroforestry

QUERCUS LEUCOTRICOPHORA

Botanical Name: Quercus leucotrihophora A.
Common Name: Ban oak
Family : Fagaceae

Plate 17.1 Flowering of Ban oak

Plate 17.2 Nuts of Ban oak

Description

• It is moderate sized to large evergreen tree with almost rounded crown
• It attains a height of 20m and diameter of 60cm,
• The bole is irregular and short.
• The bark is greyish brown, rough with cracks and fissures exfoliating in irregular oblong.
• Young leaves are pinkish and woolly all over mature dark green and glabrous above.
• Male spikes slender, drooping 5-10cm long
• Male flower axillary
• Acorn generally solitary usually born on current year shoot
• Ripe nuts ovoid conical brown when ripe 2.5cm long

Distribution

• Occurs in the moist and cooler aspects in Western Himalayas between altitudes 800m to 2300m on southern aspects,
• The limits are lower by 200 to 300 m on the northern aspects.
• In Kangra valley, it is reported to occur even at 600m elevation.
• It is principal species of ban oak forest of lower West Himalayan Temperate Forest
• It is associated with Quercus dilatata, Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana however, at lower elevation with Pinus roxburghi, Quercus glauca and Quercus lanuginose.

Site Factors

Climate

• It is a tree of sub-temperate to temperate climate
• In its natural zone maximum shade temperature never exceeds 35°C while in lower limit in subtropical zone temperature may reach 38°C
• During January most of the area in its upper limit of its distribution receives snowfall but it make small part of precipitation, the major part is received in the form of rainfall during June to September.
• The total annual rainfall varies from 1000-1800mm

Soil

• It grows on wide variety of geological formations and soils such as shale, gneiss, schist, quartzite and limestone rocks and mostly sandy or clayey loam soils.
• It grows best on cool Northern aspect with deep moist shale soils

Phenology

• It is an evergreen tree, old leaves falls after the appearance of new leaves and thus trees are never leafless
• New leaves appear in the month of March-April
• Shading of old leaves and appearance of new leaves first starts at lower elevation of its occurrence
• Male catkins and female spikes appear on new shoots in April-May
• The fruit ripens in December-January after 19-21 month of flowering
• Seeding starts comparatively at early age and coppice of ten year age have been reported bearing fruit

Silvicultural characters

• It is moderate light demander,
• It can withstand fair amount of shade in early age,
• Trees growing under shade develop restricted crown while those grown in the open have well developed crown
• Tree are resistant to ordinary frost but severe frost kills seedling and sapling
• Seedlings are sensitive to drought particular in first two years,
• Due to massive root system tress are wind firm,
• Trees are susceptible to fire
• It coppice well in young age and it declines with age.