The English Oak is the dominant tree in most of Britain, particularly on the richer soils in valley bottoms. It has been planted everywhere in parks, gardens, deer parks and woods. It has male and female flowers on the same tree. Male flowers are on catkins and hang down, female flowers are small and red and located on short stalks called peduncles. Catkins release pollen in April and May and the red female flowers develop into acorns by autumn. The English oak acorns are on stalks but the closely related Sessile oak acorns have no stalks – they are sessile.
