Quercus robur Rita's Gold - English Oak

Quercus robur 'Rita's Gold' is a cultivar of Pedunculate Oak with very light and bright foliage. With moderate growth, this tree can be planted in many gardens, where you can then enjoy a beautiful cultivar of oak with vivid yellow to yellow-green foliage. The young shoots turn red and are early for the type, which exposes them to late frosts. This tree finds a place in a medium to large garden, in association with green or purple foliage. Just like its big brother the common oak, it is perfectly suited to most temperate regions. It only requires light, deep, fertile, and moist soil to thrive.

The Pedunculate Oak, also known as English Oak, Common Oak, or Durmast Oak, belongs to the Fagaceae family. It is native to a large part of temperate Europe. It appreciates sub-oceanic to oceanic climates, or mild continental climates, relatively humid. This tree is very common in plains and low-altitude hills, but rare in regions which are too dry and too hot. In its natural environment, it can reach a height of 50 m with a spread of 25 to 30 m, while its trunk can measure up to 2 m in diameter. With a fairly exceptional longevity, this oak can live up to 2000 years according to some estimates.

The 'Rita's Gold' cultivar reaches an average height of 10 to 12 m with a spread of 7 to 9 m at maturity. The growth of this oak is moderately fast. Its habit is upright during its early years, with the canopy widening later to adopt a more rounded shape. The quite short trunk is covered with initially green and smooth bark, which then becomes grey, thick, and deeply fissured. Its young branches are grey and shiny. The foliage, which is deciduous but late to drop, consists of alternate, soft, obovate leaves that can reach 5 to 15 cm in length and 3 to 8 cm in width. Each leaf is divided into 5 to 7 pairs of rounded asymmetrical lobes, separated by relatively deep sinuses. The base of the leaf blade is narrow and has 2 small lobes. The blade is an acid yellow-green at bud burst, becoming increasingly yellow with increasing light intensity, with the underside being paler. The leaves turn brown, quite late in autumn, and remain attached to the branches before falling. This oak flowers in April-May, shortly after the emergence of the foliage. The female flowers are placed in a cupule carried by a long peduncle: this distinctive characteristic is the origin of the species name, pedunculata. The male inflorescences are elongated, pendulous catkins tinged with yellow. They are produced on older branches. The female flowers give way to ovoid and elongated acorns, measuring 1.5 to 3 cm in length. They are often grouped in pairs or threes and attached to a long peduncle. A cupule covered with scales covers one-third of the acorn. The colour changes from green to brown at maturity, in September and October. The root system of this tree is deep and powerful, with both taproot and spreading roots, ensuring a solid and lasting grip in deep and compact soils.

The 'Rita's Gold' oak, a contrasting tree, can become the centerpiece of a natural or even contemporary garden large enough to accommodate it. In spring, a graceful dance of acid-green young leaves takes place, gradually turning to golden yellow, a colour to associate with purple-leaved hazels, as well as the blue flowers of Sophora davidii or buddleias. It can be planted individually or in a grove. It also provides pleasant shade, which allows light in winter, and produces abundant leaf litter, favourable to the growth of certain plants that germinate under its cover. Its abundant acorns feed small animals such as squirrels and jays.