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The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of tree in the genus
Quercus. The genus is native to the northern hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cold latitudes to tropical Asia.
The genus is divided into a number of subgenera, or sections, which include:
Cerris, the Turkey oak and its relatives of West Asia
Suber, allied to cork oak of southern Europe
Robur, allied to the common oak of northern Europe
Leucobalanus, the white oaks of North America
Erythrobalanus, the red oaks of North America
The white oaks are further subdivided into the chestnut oaks and the rest of the white oaks, while the red oaks are further subdivided into the live oaks and the rest of the red oaks.
A hardwood tree, oak is used commonly in furniture and flooring. The bark of the Quercus
suber, or cork oak, is used to produce wine stoppers (corks). Some European and American oak species are used to make barrels where wine and other spirits are aged; the barrels contribute to the taste. This species grows in the Mediterranean Sea region, with Portugal, Spain, Algeria and Morocco producing most of the world's supply.
Of the North American oaks, the most prized of the red oak group for lumber, all of which is marketed as red oak regardless of the species of origin, is that of the northern red oak, Quercus rubra
(aka Quercus borealis). The standard for the lumber of the white oak group, all of which is marketed as white oak, is the white oak, Quercus alba. White oak is often used for the construction of barrels for aging wine.
Some species of oak found in North America include:
Quercus agrifolia - Coast live oak
Quercus alba - White oak
Quercus arizonica - Arizona white oak
Quercus bicolor - Swamp white oak
Quercus chrysolepis - Canyon live oak
Quercus coccinea - Scarlet oak
Quercus douglasii - Blue oak
Quercus ellipsoidalis - Northern pin oak
Quercus emoryi - Emory oak
Quercus falcata - Spanish oak, aka southern red oak
Quercus gambelii - Gambel oak
Quercus garryana - Oregon white oak
Quercus grisea - Gray oak
Quercus havardii - Sand shinnery oak
Quercus incana - Bluejack oak
Quercus kelloggii - California black oak
Quercus laevis - Turkey oak
Quercus laurifolia - Laurel oak
Quercus lobata - Valley oak
Quercus lyrata - Overcup oak
Quercus macrocarpa - Bur oak
Quercus marilandica - Blackjack oak
Quercus michauxii - Swamp chestnut oak
Quercus muehlenbergii - Chinkapin oak
Quercus nigra - Water oak
Quercus oblongifolia - Mexican blue oak
Quercus palustris - Pin oak
Quercus phellos - Willow oak
Quercus prinus - Chestnut oak
Quercus pungens - Sandpaper oak
Quercus rubra - Northern red oak
Quercus shumardii - Shumard oak
Quercus stellata - Post oak
Quercus turbinella - Shrub live oak
Quercus velutina - Black oak
Quercus virginiana - Live oak
Quercus wislizenii - Interior live oak
Old World species of oak include:
Quercus acutissima
Quercus canariensis - Algerian oak or Canary oak
Quercus castaneifolia - Chestnut oak or chestnut leafed oak
Quercus cerris - Turkey oak
Quercus coccifera - Kermes oak
Quercus dentata - Daimio oak
Quercus faginea - Portuguese oak
Quercus frainetto - Hungarian oak
Quercus glauca
Quercus ilex - Holm oak or evergreen oak
Quercus infectoria
Quercus libani - Lebanon oak
Quercus macranthera
Quercus mongolica - Mongolian oak
Quercus petrea - Sessile oak
Quercus pontica - Armenian oak
Quercus robur - pedunculate oak, Common oak (British name), English oak (American name), or truffle oak.
Quercus suber - Cork oak
Quercus trojana - Macedonian oak
Quercus x turnerii - Turner's oak
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