Northern acorn tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern acorn tree |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Beilschmiedia
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| Species: |
miersii
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The Northern acorn tree (scientific name: Beilschmiedia miersii) is a special evergreen tree. This means it keeps its leaves all year round. It belongs to the Lauraceae family, which also includes avocado and cinnamon trees.
You can find this tree growing naturally in central Chile. It lives in a specific area, between 30 and 35 degrees South latitude. It can grow quite high up, even at 1,200 meters (about 4,000 feet) above sea level. This tree is tough and can survive in very dry places.
One important place where the Northern acorn tree grows is La Campana National Park and Cerro La Campana. Here, it often grows alongside the Chilean Wine Palm, which is an endangered species.
Contents
What the Northern Acorn Tree Looks Like
The Northern acorn tree can grow very tall. It can reach up to 25 meters (about 82 feet) in height. Its trunk can be as wide as 80 centimeters (about 31 inches) across. The trunk is usually straight and shaped like a cylinder. Its bark is a gray-brown color.
Leaves of the Tree
The leaves of this tree are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets. They grow in pairs directly across from each other, or sometimes almost opposite. The leaves are shaped like an oval or a slightly wider oval. Their edges are smooth and sometimes a little wavy.
The top side of the leaves is dark and shiny. The underside is a dull, bluish-green color, which is called glaucous. The tip of the leaf is usually blunt or has a small notch. The base of the leaf is blunt or slightly heart-shaped. Each leaf is about 4 to 11 centimeters long and 1.5 to 5 centimeters wide. The small stems that attach the leaves to the branch, called petioles, are very fuzzy. They are about 5 to 10 millimeters long.
Flowers of the Tree
The flowers of the Northern acorn tree have both male and female parts. This means they are hermaphrodite. They grow in groups called inflorescences, which are about 3 to 10 centimeters long. Each flower has a small stalk, or pedicel, about 2 to 5 millimeters long. The flowers are yellowish-green and fuzzy. Their fleshy parts, called tepals, are also fuzzy. The style of the flower ends in a sticky, blunt tip called a stigma.
How People Use the Northern Acorn Tree
In central Chile, people often plant the Northern acorn tree as an ornamental tree. This means it is grown for its beauty in gardens and parks.
The fruit of this tree is a brown drupe when it is ripe. A drupe is a fruit with a fleshy outer part and a hard pit inside, like a peach or an olive. Sometimes, this fruit is used to feed pigs. The Northern acorn tree has also been planted and grown successfully in Spain.
See also
In Spanish: Beilschmiedia miersii para niños
