**133/E-Tree Talk-Oak.

Oak-courtesy Wikipedia.

Pride of place among British indigenous trees must certainly be given to the Oak.  Its roots are deeply buried in our history, it is one of the few native trees of this island of ours.  Among the early inhabitants of Britain the Oak was always the object of special veneration & druidical  religious rites & primitive courts of justice used to be held under its branches.  Later , the Oak acquired great importance for the construction of ships.  The”wooden walls of  England”  or ” hearts of oak”, as they have been called, were all made from the tough timber of this tree the angular branches of which  were conveniently shaped for the frames of wooden ships.  The Oak is a magnificent , sturdy tree,, develops  a huge strong  trunk, firmly rooted in the ground & massive spreading  limbs.  It is long lived  have some for over a 1,000 years. 
 The long leaves, cut into  rounded lobes are too well known to need further description.   The flowers are of separate sexes & both kinds grow on  the  same tree.  The male flowers are little balls  of  yellow stamens arranged along  hanging stems.  The female flowers are tiny green ovoids in scaly cups & later turn into the well known acorns. A favourite  food of squirrels & pigs.

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