Getting to the root of our oak trees

THERE are many species of oak tree in the world and quite a few of them can be found growing in Ireland — I have half a dozen in my own small collection.

However, only two species are regarded as native. They are the sessile oak, Quercus petraea, which is officially our national tree, and the pedunculate oak, Quercus robur.

The pedunculate oak is also known as the English oak and some authorities have suggested it’s not an Irish native species.