Quercus

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Quercus (oak; family Fagaceae) A genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs of the beech family, whose wood has distinctive, broad, compound rays. The buds are scaly. The leaves have small stipules and are entire, toothed or rarely crenate. Male flowers are borne in catkins, female flowers are solitary. The fruit is a nut seated in a woody cupule, the acorn. Many species are important for timber, tanning (the bark), cork (Q. suber), or as ornamentals. There are about 600 species, found in the northern hemisphere temperate zone, subtropical and tropical Asia, and the Andes.