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Quercus pubescens Willd.

This specimen is  about  22 m tall and the circumference is about 3,8 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 specimens of Villa Saffi were two but one died and the other is in not so good phytosanitary conditions.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)