''Quercus leucotrichophora'' is a tree belonging to Family Fagaceae; commonly known as Banjh oak, Banj oak (Uttarakhand) and Ban oak (Himachal). In Nepal, it is known as ''Banjhi'', ''Rainj'', ''Khasarant'', ''Tikhe bhanjh'' in standard Nepali and ''Sulsing'' in

Tamang language Tamang (Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāng'') is a term used to collectively refer to a dialect cluster spoken mainly in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal (Darjeeling) and North-Eastern India. It comprises Eastern Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, ...

. Some authors named it as ''Quercus incana'' Roxburgh.

Description

''Quercus leucotrichophora'' is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree bearing stalked, ovate to lancolate, acuminate, serrate, leathery, and dark green leaves which are glabrous above and densely white or gray pubescent beneath. The male flowers are slender and drooping spikes. The female spikes are sessile and axillary. There is a solitary acorn. ''Quercus leucotrichophora'' flowers in April to May and fruits in December. Naturally, it regenerates via seeds.

Distribution and ecology

''Quercus leucotrichophora'' is distributed in

Northern India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, and Sri Lanka. In Nepal, it naturally occurs at in forested areas in association with ''

Rhododendron arboreum ''Rhododendron arboreum'', the tree rhododendron, is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a showy display of bright red flowers. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand. It is the national flower ...

'', ''

Lyonia ovalifolia ''Lyonia ovalifolia'' is a species of plant in the family Ericaceae. This plant is Native to Himalaya, Nepal, China, Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federatio ...

'', and ''

Myrica esculenta ''Myrica esculenta'' is a tree or large shrub native to the hills of northern India, southern Bhutan and Nepal. Its common names include box myrtle, bayberry and kaphal. Its berries are edible and are consumed locally. It is the state fruit ...

''. On south-facing slopes and

disturbed Disturbed may refer to: Books * ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author) Film and TV * ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell * "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs'' * "The Disturbed", a 2 ...

areas it forms associations with ''

Pinus roxburghii ''Pinus roxburghii'', commonly known as chir pine or longleaf Indian pine, is a species of pine tree native to the Himalayas. It was named after William Roxburgh. Description ''Pinus roxburghii'' is a large tree reaching with a trunk diameter ...

'' (chir pine). The fungus '' Lactarius abbotanus'' forms

ectomycorrhizae An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or myco ...

with the roots of this tree. The tree is affected with many types of leaf galls caused by different types of insects. Many

Cecidomyiidae Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small insects us ...

genera such as ''

Asphondylia ''Asphondylia'' is a cosmopolitan genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. All species in this genus induce galls on plants, especially on flowers and flower buds. There are over 300 described species in ''Asphondylia'', with many mor ...

'', '' Lasioptera'' and ''

Dasineura ''Dasineura'' is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae, some of which cause galls on plants such as ''Dasineura crataegi'' on hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, one-seed hawthorn, or sing ...

'' are known to cause plant galls. An unknown Itonididae (cecidomyiid) caused pouch leaf galls on the tree.Mishra, P., and V. Patni. "Anatomical changes and development of Cecidomyiid leaf gall of Quercus leucotrichophora-Himalayan white oak." J Mycol Pl Pathol 38.2 (2008): 203–207.

Uses

The Banj oak is among the most useful trees of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

. It is extensively lopped (or branch pruned) for fuelwood and its wood has a high calorific value and good burning properties. The leaves are extensively used as a cattle fodder. The leaf litter is rich in

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

and makes an excellent compost fertilizer. The timber, while hard and strong and used for agricultural implements, is not particularly valuable as it is hard to work.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6324876 leucotrichophora Plants described in 1935 Trees of the Indian subcontinent Taxa named by Aimée Antoinette Camus