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No, this isn't an article written for (or by) squirrels – humans can actually eat acorns under certain circumstances. The nuts stem from oak trees, and can actually elicit a mild, nutty flavor.
The fruit is an acorn, maturing about 18 months after pollination, 2–3 cm (3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) long and 2 cm broad, bi-coloured with an orange basal half grading to a green-brown tip; the acorn cap is 1.5–2 cm (5 ⁄ 8 – 3 ⁄ 4 in) deep, densely covered in soft 4–8 millimetres (3 ⁄ 16 – 5 ⁄ 16 in) long 'mossy' bristles.
Knocking down acorn to feed pigs. 1300s England. Mast is the fruit of forest trees and shrubs, such as acorns and other nuts. [1] The term derives from the Old English mæst, meaning the nuts of forest trees that have accumulated on the ground, especially those used historically for fattening domestic pigs, and as food resources for wildlife.
The acorns and leaves contain tannic acid, [5] which helps to guard against fungi and insects. [6] There are some 500 extant species of oaks. [7] Trees in the genus are often large and slow-growing; Q. alba can reach an age of 600 years, a diameter of 13 feet (4.0 m) and a height of 145 feet (44 m). [8]
Acorns that germinated in the fall were shelled and pulverized before those germinating in spring. [citation needed] Because of their high fat content, stored acorns can become rancid. Moulds may also grow on them. The lighting of ground fires killed the larvae of acorn moths and acorn weevils by burning them during their dormancy period in the ...
The flowers are catkins, maturing in about 6–7 months into acorns 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 2–4 cm (3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) broad. [3] Acorns are most often distributed by water due to their buoyancy and preferred habitat. Acorns germinate best in moist soils and when covered with leaf litter. [8]
Quercus robur is a deciduous tree up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall, [5] with a single stout trunk that can be as much as 11 m (36 ft) in girth (circumference at breast height) or even 14 m (46 ft) in pollarded specimens. Older trees tend to be pollarded, with boles (the main trunk) 2–3 m (6 + 1 ⁄ 2 –10 ft) long. These live longer and become ...
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