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Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa ), “Cone” of the Month for May, 2024
Illustrated by Caylin Jayde
Bur oak does not have a cone. It, like all broadleaf trees, produces flowers followed by some kind of fruit, which botanically is the mature ovary of a flower that contains a fertilized ovule in a seed. Conifers lack ovaries and instead hold their ovules on scales that open slightly to allow pollen in from the wind. Bur oaks grow across the plains of North America and are one of the largest and toughest oaks, withstanding fires, drought, and…
Fun Fact: …lightning! Bur oaks, often being the tallest structures on the open plains (with limbs filled with water) would get struck by lightning more often than other trees and so are revered by the peoples of the region as means of the gods communing with the earth.
Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa ), “Cone” of the Month for May, 2024
Illustrated by Caylin Jayde
Bur oak does not have a cone. It, like all broadleaf trees, produces flowers followed by some kind of fruit, which botanically is the mature ovary of a flower that contains a fertilized ovule in a seed. Conifers lack ovaries and instead hold their ovules on scales that open slightly to allow pollen in from the wind. Bur oaks grow across the plains of North America and are one of the largest and toughest oaks, withstanding fires, drought, and…
Fun Fact: …lightning! Bur oaks, often being the tallest structures on the open plains (with limbs filled with water) would get struck by lightning more often than other trees and so are revered by the peoples of the region as means of the gods communing with the earth.