The Gemelliflora oak tree

The Gemelliflora oak (Quercus gemelliflora) is a tree in the Fagaceae family whose natural distribution extends from Indonesia to Malaysia (Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Sarawak and Sabah).

It owes its name to the fact that its flowers are arranged in pairs.

The species was described in 1825 by the botanist Carl Ludwig Blume (1796-1862), a specialist in the flora of southeast Asia.

Use of Gemelliflora oak

Gemelliflora oak has brown or reddish-brown wood with medullary striations*. Its wood is used locally in construction.

The bark of the Gemelliflora oak is rich in tannins and its acorns, like those of most equatorial or tropical oaks, are much appreciated by monkeys.

Characteristics of Gemelliflora oak

The Gemelliflora oak is an equatorial oak that thrives near rivers and grows in red sandy-clay soils or soils with a very alkaline pH, at between 100 and 2,200 metres altitude.

An evergreen tree, the Gemelliflora oak grows to between 15 and 50 metres in height, with a trunk diameter of between 20 and 60 cm. Its leaves are 5 to 18 cm long and 2 to 8 cm wide. Its acorns, which are ovoid, conical or almost cylindrical, are 2 to 5.5 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide and are encased in saucer-shaped or almost hemispherical, turbinated or conical cupules.

*Relating to the pith of a plant.