Quercus acuta

Japanese Evergreen Oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Fagaceae
Genus:	Quercus
Subgenus:	Cyclobalanopsis
Species:	Q. acuta
Binomial name
Quercus acuta Thunb. 1784 not Buch.-Ham. ex Wall. 1829 nor Siebold ex Blume 1851 nor Raf. 1838
Synonyms[1]
List Cyclobalanopsis acuta (Thunb.) Oerst. Cyclobalanopsis acutiformis (Nakai) Nakai Cyclobalanopsis buergeri (Blume) Oerst. Cyclobalanopsis laevigata (Blume) Oerst. Cyclobalanopsis marginata (Blume) Oerst. Quercus buergeri Blume Quercus carpostachys H.Lév. & Vaniot Quercus kasaimok H.Lév. ex Nakai Quercus kusaiensis H.Lév. ex Rehder Quercus laevigata Blume Quercus marginata Blume Quercus pseudoglauca H.Lév. ex Nakai Quercus quelpaertensis H.Lév. ex Nakai

Quercus acuta, the Japanese evergreen oak, is an oak native to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China's Guizhou Province and Guangdong Province.^[2] Due to its foliage and habitat, it looks rather unlike most other oaks.

Quercus acuta is usually bushy and densely domed, reaching a height of 14 meters. The bark is smooth and dark grey. Leaves are dark and glossy above and yellowish beneath. They narrow to a long, finely-rounded tip. The flowers are on a stiff 5 cm catkin.

Often called Japanese white oak or shiro kashi, it is a standard choice for Japanese martial arts practice weapons such as bokken, because it has a uniformly tight grain structure due to its continuous growing season.^[3] It should not be confused with the oriental or Asian white oak, Quercus aliena.

References

1. The Plant List, Quercus acuta Thunb.
2. "Quercus acuta"Oaks of the World Accessed 8 April 2011.
3. James Goedkoop: "Woods for Training Weapons". Aikiweb Accessed 10 November 2012.