Oak - Sessile (Quercus petraea)

Our range of Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) bare root trees

We have Sessile Oak bare root trees in several sizes and specifications.   The 1+0 specification plants are seedlings (often called whips) which were sown from seed in spring and are sold during the following November to April months when dormant ie they are one year old. It is unusual for Oak to grow to a saleable plant in one year - generally we only have a few of these. The more normal specification for young oak saplings is a 1U1 which is a two year old plant, having had it's roots trimmed underground at the beginning of the second growing season to promote fibrous roots and stimulate growth.

All of these plants are grown by us on our farm in Herefordshire.

We always have several batches of seed for Quercus petraea including UK provenance (generally English and Welsh) and including a batch of Select Stand seed (the best where trees are being grown for timber production) so if the seed provenance is particulaly important to you please give us a call so that we can allocate plants from the best batch for your needs.

We also have cell grown Sessile Oak trees which are grown by one of the UK's best specialist growers and these are ideal for forestry and woodland creation.  Cell grown plants are available all year round.

You can read more about the various specifications we offer in each species on the tab just below our pricing table to the right of this product description.

Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) Summary

Sessile means “stalkless” and the acorns on this variety of oak attach to the twigs at the base of the acorn but just to confuse, the leaves are on long stalks.  The mnemonic "sessile SALL" might help - short acorn, long leaf.  Sessile oak tends to have a straighter trunk and straighter branches than Quercus robur (English Oak).  A majestic, long living tree supporting huge amounts of wildlife (according to the Woodland Trust 326 types of wildlife are found ONLY on oak and they support more wildlife than any other native species).  The alternative name for Sessile oak is Irish oak and it is the national tree of Ireland.  It is more common than English oak in northern and western areas where rainfall is higher. 

The alternative name Durmast oak may derive from feeding pigs on acorns and beechnuts known as mast.

Soil and Situation suitable for Sessile oak

Sessile oak will tolerate slightly drier soils than English oak (although it does like plenty of rainfall) and is not suited to compacted or wet soils.  It’s a hardy, wind tolerant tree which will grow well on poor soils (acid or alkaline with a preference for acidic) as well as rich soils, and in semi shade but prefers full sun.  It tends to be grown more on the northern and western side of the UK which is wetter and it is suited to coastal situations.

Leaves, flowers and fruit

Making the assumption that most people know what an oak leaf looks like the differences between Sessile oak and English oak leaves are that Sessile oak leaves appear later by about two weeks, Sessile oak leave have a long stalk and do not have the earlobes” at the base which the English oak leaves have.

The male flowers are catkins which appear with the leaves in spring.  Female flowers are inconspicuous, are wind pollinated and become acorns which are a large single seed held inside a cup, green in colour initially and then maturing to brown. 

Eventual height and growth rate of Sessile oak

A mature Sessile oak can be 40m in height though around 20m is more common, and is quite slow growing at about 20-30cm pa. Britain's largest oak is a sessile oak growing in Herefordshire, and is about 100 feet tall and containing over 10 tons of wood.

This section gives definitions on the specifications of plants that we sell.  We are specialists in field grown (or bare root) plants which are grown in two ways.  The majority are grown from seed, some are ready within one growing season (seedlings or 1+0's) and some species require two growing seasons (1u1's).  In addition to growing from seed we also grow from small plants or cuttings (transplants) which are much more widely spaced (taking more land, more irrigation water, fertilisers and labour).  There are only a handful of bare root wholesale nurseries in the UK and of those even fewer grow transplants but Ray Jenkins has many years' experience of transplanting so we grow these in large volumes.  Ray has written this blog about the benefits of bare root plants and how they are grown and another blog which gives further detail on bare root specifications.

The detailed specifications are shown below.  If you are in doubt about what specification to use please email us on enquiries@rjtreesandhedging.co.uk with a description of the project (and photos if appropriate) and we will advise you.

1+0 - field grown in one season from seed, known as a seedling (sometimes called a whip), generally a slender single stem plant.   These are the cheapest specification and are particularly suitable for planting where weed competition will be less intense, soil is shallow or on exposed windy sites.  Gives a high root to shoot ratio and minimal plant "check".

2+0 - a 2 year seedling, field grown from seed in the same seed bed in two growing seasons where the species cannot be grown to a saleable plant from seed in one season

1U1 - 2 year old plant called an undercut, field grown for two seasons in the same seed bed and undercut by machine (a sharp blade cutting the roots under the soil level) after the first year to develop the root structure. We do this with several species which take 2 years to develop (eg oak, beech, hornbeam)

1+1 - 2 year old plant (transplant) grown from seed in the first year and then transplanted into a different area of the field and spaced out for the second growing season - a robust plant with a larger and more robust root system than seedling or undercut plant which will enable it to better withstand drought and weed competition. Often the best choice and the staple norm for farm hedging and this specification is a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Grant

1+2- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two growing seasons giving a tall, stocky, bushy plant

2+1- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further growing season, giving a strong bushy plant

3+1 - as above but field grown for a further growing season for more height and a very bushy plant

1+3- 4 year old, one year field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for three years, giving a very strong, bushy plant

2+2- 4 year old, two years field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two years - a very mature plant suited to certain species like beech and hornbeam where we can offer almost instant hedging

and some that are a bit different.....

P9 - a plant grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel in a 9cm pot (for holly which germinates poorly in the field)

Cell grown - a plant grown in small deep cells (like a small yogurt pot) and then lifted out of those for transportation. Commonly used in forestry and large hedging projects.  Very high quality plants with excellent success rate.  See our blog on the benefits of cell grown plants.

C+1 or C+2 - a 3 or 4 year old plant initally started as hardwood cuttings grown on for a year as cell grown plants and then lined out in fields to grow on for a further 1 or 2 years (a technique used for Cherry Laurel)

0/1 - a hardwood cutting, then field grown for one season (for example for white willow, black poplar and osier)