Daimyo Oak

Quercus dentata is a deciduous tree growing up to 20–25 metres (66–82 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. Its foliage is remarkable for its size, among the largest of all oaks, consisting of a short hairy petiole, 1–1.5 centimetres (3⁄8–5⁄8 inch) long, and a blade 10–40 cm (4–15+1⁄2 in) long and 15–30 cm (6–12 in) broad, with a shallowly lobed margin; the form is reminiscent of an enormous pedunculate oak leaf. The leaves are often retained dead on the tree into winter. Both sides of the leaf are initially downy with the upper surface becoming smooth. The flowers are produced in May; the male flowers are pendulous catkins. The female flowers are sessile, growing near the tips of new shoots, producing acorns 1.2–2.3 cm long and 1.2–1.5 cm broad, in broad, bushy-scaled cups; the acorns mature in September to October.

Quercus dentata (Qd) cannot tolerate the extreme cold of northern Hokkaido, but Quercus crispula (Qc) can. In more southerly parts of Hokkaido, Q. dentata lives in coastal areas while Q. crispula tends to live more inland. In the more northern parts of the island, these two species have experienced introgression and they are interfertile, producing shoots that grow and can reproduce; resulting in a coastal Qc ecotype with Qd-like traits. The coastal Qc are intermediary between the two parent species in genotypes and phenotypes.

In Korean cuisine, its acorns (in Hangul: 도토리, dotori) have been used since the Three Kingdoms. A notable food is dotorimuk. In Japanese cuisine, its leaves are used as a wrapping for kashiwa mochi.

Quercus dentata was introduced to the British Isles in 1830, where it is occasionally grown in botanical gardens. It is usually smaller in cultivation than in the wild, growing to a small angular tree or large irregular shrub. Notable specimens include one at Osterley Park, 14 m (46 ft) tall and 1.5 m girth, and the largest, 18 m (59 ft) tall, at Avondale Forest Park, County Wicklow, Ireland.