Fagaceae

Abstract

The family Fagaceae is distributed world-wide although it is most characteristic of the temperate and subtropical zones of both hemispheres. The majority of species are large trees which play a dominant role in the vegetation of deciduous and evergreen forests. Many are economically important as timber trees. The family comprises seven genera with altogether about 1000 species, but of these only ten species from three genera occur in Northwest Europe. The main genus is Quercus which accounts for eight species. Two of these, Q. rubra and Q. palustris, were introduced into Europe from North America some centuries ago and are now widely cultivated. In addition, Q. pyrenaica has been included in this account because its area of distribution, in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, borders closely on that of the Northwest European Pollen Flora.