Customer Reviews

The Life of an Oak: An Intimate Portrait

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I picked up this book thinking that I should have it in my library but not much more. I was soon captivated by its lovely figures and pictures and by its insightful discussions of ALL the various aspects of the oak. I'm not a botanist or even an ecologist, and this book is not just for oak-wonks or something. On the other hand, I just gave my copy to the resident scientist at a local oak preserve (in the hills above San Diego) and so here I am back to buy yet another copy for my library. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for my father who is developing an oak park. He has an insatiable appetite for books, especially those on oaks, he loved it and said it was the best book on oaks he'd ever read...

This is an outstanding piece of work that may be a bit too technical in parts for some readers. I know it was for me as a neophyte botanist. I may read this again when I've gained more experience because Glenn Keator's in-depth look at oak trees worldwide is as exhaustive as any popular book I've seen, and the artwork by Susan Bazell is wonderful.

Glenn Keator begins with "Oak Architecture," by which he means the nature of the roots, trunk, limbs, branches, leaves, etc. of the tree including epiphytes and the tree itself as an ecosystem. The mighty oak is indeed quite an ecosystem, nourishing many creatures and being nourished itself not only by water, air, sun and soil, but through a mycorrhizal relationship with fungi. Next he goes into the life cycle of the trees from acorn to death to being recycled by nature. The diversity and the evolution of oaks is explored to some considerable depth, and finally there is look at the various habitats that oaks are part of.

I am familiar with the oaks of California, but it was interesting to read about oaks from all parts of the world including those of the high lands of northern Mexico where there is the greatest diversity. Interesting too are the oaks of the tropical rain forests which have evolved differing techniques for survival. Keator reports on the prehistory of the oak and how it has evolved globally beginning at least 40 million years ago.

The most interesting part of the book for me covered the many different kinds of galls that live on these endlessly fascinating trees. Most of us are familiar with the potato and apple shaped galls but how about the rose-colored urchin gall or the mushroom gall or the jumping gall? I had brought some leaves home with what looked like rose-purple colored flowers, each about a quarter inch in diameter, growing on the underside of some leaves, and I wondered what they were. I was surprised to learn that they are but one of many galls that the chemistry of insects incites the oak to grow. Bazell's drawings of the galls on pages 88, 89 and 91 are beautiful and instructive. To me, the presence of so many kinds of galls, which are really ancient adaptations to living with insects, testifies to the great antiquity of the oaks themselves.

I had hoped this book would help me identify oak trees by species--and in the long run it may. But for now what I've learned is that the promiscuous oak, pollinated by the wind, morphs into hybrids that are difficult to identify. Not only that, but what is even more confusing, the oak tree shapes its leaves differently depending on the climate and even on which side of the oak the leaves grow. Furthermore, even though some oaks are named because of the color of their bark, that doesn't always aid identification since the bark is often covered by lichen and mosses. It helps to know that some oaks are deciduous and some are evergreen, and that the acorns themselves are a good key to identification. However the flowering parts of oaks are small and their season is brief, ensuring that those who seek positive identification will have to do some serious fieldwork.

In addition to information about oaks, Keator writes about the other kinds of plants that coexist in oak habitats--flowers, fungi, insects, and other trees, especially beeches.

Complementing Bazell's artwork are full color photos and maps showing the habitats and the global distribution of oaks and similar trees, and there is an excellent glossary. I suspect most people with a spirited interest in oak trees own or are familiar with this excellent book.

I enjoyed this book because it was complete and had much up-to-date information. Many botancial texts are often out-of-date by the time they have been in print for a time, so it was nice to find soch good, up-to-date material. It's also well written. It's actually a fun read about oaks. Good pictures also. AFter reading this book, whether you are an expect or just a fan, you'll never pass an oak without a much deeper understanding and appreciation of what a unique plant it is.

I really wanted to understand oaks. I checked out every book the library had on books. My two favorites of all I read are "The Oaks of California" which gives info specifically to the state where I live...and this one by Glenn Keator which tells the story of Oaks worldwide. The depth of this book is astonishing. The drawings are beautiful. This one gets into the nitty gritty. Stuff about the mycorrhizal relationship between oaks and fungi...photosynthesis of oak leaves...the 2/5 phyllotaxy of oak leaves. I mean some deep stuff. What do you expect from one of the authors of the Jepson manual!! A masterpiece for lovers of Oaks and us plant geeks.

Oak tree taxonomy is complex, but then what species isn't? I like this book for its clear explanation of how trees "work" as well as how they came about. A good representation of the diversity and adaptability of the mighty oak.