Quercus X Sargentii
Sargent Oak
Quercus X Sargentii
Family: Fagaceae Native Range: Japan, southern China Zone: 3 to 9 Height: 50.00 to 70.00 feet Spread: 30.00 to 60.00 feet Bloom Time: Non-flowering Bloom Description: nondescript catkins Sun: Full sun, not fussy though Water: Low-medium Maintenance: Low Leaf: Deciduous
This tree was one that I spotted from the top of Bussey Hill in the arboretum from a mile away. Not only was I just stunned by the immense size of the trunk, I was relieved to see a tree with most of its leaves still clinging on for dear life as its mid November in New England. The leaves reminded me of a swamp white oak or even a red oak, with their slick rounded edges and good color. The leaves allegedly in the summer are a dark leathery green so they score highly a 4 out of 4 for leaves. The bark is typical of many older oaks, deep furroughs, and a lighter gray color than the typical brown trunked tree. This tree if placed in a forest in New England could easily be overlooked unless it was of this size. It gets a 2 out of 3 due to its size. The bark scores a 2/3.
Bark: (1-3) 2
Leaves: (1-4) 4
Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2
Total: 8
Some trees I have documented have been hard to catergorize in the build category, because 1. no ones ever used the wood or 2. its not big enough to be used for its wood. This one falls into the first category, as this tree is incredibly rare, and I don’t think it exists in nature. I would like a yard filled with them, but I don’t want to wait 150 years for them to look like this one. The closest relative to this tree is the Chestnut oak, or Quercus montana, and I will be analyzing that wood as such. The wood makes great cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boat building, barrels, and veneer. There are plenty of workable uses to this wood, and it takes stain well, and is easily worked. I will award this one a 7 out of 10, and for the most part, there isn’t much use for many oak types in structural members, but it is a useful wood.
Source:
1. https://oikostreecrops.com/products/sargent-oak/
2. http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1980-40-4-outstanding-plants-of-the-arnold-arboretum-quercus-x-sargentii.pdf
3. https://www.wood-database.com/chestnut-oak
4. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=366134













