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Quercus pubescens Willd.

This specimen is about 20 m tall and its circumference is of about 5 m.
Downy oaks are native of the Black Sea and belong to the Fagaceae family.
Thanks to their tapering rooting system, they have a high resistance to aridity. They are plants which love the sun and high temperatures but because of their being rustic, they are able to resist cold weather.
In Italy it is present in all the regions, preferably on calcareous soils with a Southern exposure between 200 and 800 m of altitude.
Their wood, even though it is composed of irregular fibres which make it difficult to manufacture, was used to build farming instruments, shipbuilding industry and railway one (sleepers) but it is also a good fuel, thanks to its solidity.
In ancient times, their acorns were used to feed pigs or to make a type of bread.
The downy oak of Rondinara, which is called by locals  “La Grande Quercia”, grows next to the remains of some colonial houses, in a panoramic position; it is possible to reach it through different paths, starting from Rondinara, Ventoso or Monte delle Tre Croci.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)