Armenian Oak (Quercus Pontica)

Features and Characteristics

Quercus pontica, commonly called Armenian oak or pontine oak, is a slow-growing, deciduous shrub or small tree in the White Oak group that typically matures to 20’ (infrequently to 33’) tall. It usually grows in a shrubby form in the wild. It is native to northeastern Turkey, Armenia and the Caucasus Mountains.

Ovate to broad elliptic, alternate, medium green leaves (to 10” long) have acute apices, attenuate bases, showy yellow midribs and leaf stalks, prominent parallel veins and dentate teeth. Each leaf vein (up to 17 pairs per leaf) ends in a small pointed tooth at the leaf margin. Leaves turn yellow in fall. Monoecious flowers (females in small insignificant clusters and males in somewhat showy olive-yellow catkins dangling to 8” long) bloom in late April-May. Flowers are followed by acorns (to 1 3/4” long) which most often appear at the shoot tips in clusters of 2-5 and ripen in September-October. Each acorn is enclosed in a scaly cup enclosing about 1/2 of the acorn. Shallowly fissured gray to brown bark.

Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for oak trees.

Specific epithet comes from Pontus which is an ancient Greek name given to the region on the southern shores of the Black Sea which is today part of northeastern Turkey.