Topic summary

Quercus crispula

Quercus crispula

Quercus crispula, commonly known as 'water oak' (Japanese: 水楢, Hepburn: mizunara), Japanese oak and Mongolian oak, is a deciduous broad-leaved tree of the genus Quercus. Quercus mongolica var. crispula, it is considered a variety of Quercus mongolica by some authorities, and is widely distributed in Northeast Asia from Sakhalin to southern Japan, and parts of Russia, Korea, and China. It is often colocated with Fagus crenata (Japanese beech) and Acer mono (Painted maple) in dense deciduous forests. The nuts can be eaten. The wood is highly valued for making whisky and is also used for furniture and construction. The outer bark has medicinal properties.