Many people think that oak leaves are all the same in nature. But this is not so. It is known that there are more than six hundred species of this tree found in different parts of the world. As for coloring, in summer the leaves can be from light and dark green to silver. Moreover, oaks growing on the Himalayan slopes have many differences from the Scottish or tropical Polynesian, if only because in warm climatic latitudes they are evergreens that do not dump foliage for the winter, as it happens with us.
However, all oak leaves are always wide, so some confuse them with maple, especially in the fall, when they are painted in amazingly colorful colors of all shades. Like most broadleaf, they have a thin plate, and intricate denticles are their characteristic feature. It is these cloves that different types of oaks differ from each other, as well as the presence or absence of the cannon on the leaves and geometric features - they can be oval or elliptical.
The places where these plants grow compactly are called oak groves. Oak leaves in spring on Russian territory appear rather late and fall last too, trying to stay on the tree even in a dry state.
The tree grows slowly, at first actively stretching upward, because it does not tolerate shading, which is why it does its best and strives for the sun. Only when it reaches a height favorable to it, it begins to expand its trunk. His root system is so powerful that this giant is not afraid of any natural disasters, therefore his life span is several centuries. So, only on the territory of Russia over the past two years, twenty-eight old-timed oaks, living from three hundred to five hundred years, have received a state protection certificate .
These giants are so amazing that from the most ancient times people give them sacred meaning and use oak leaves in many household rituals and medicine recipes aimed at restoring strength, strengthening health and maintaining beauty.
For the same reason, they were so actively used in heraldry by various tribes and peoples. The most famous example of this is the German principalities. The Germans at all times revered the oak leaf so much, the drawing of which was depicted on their coats of arms and shields in the Middle Ages, on awards and insignia in later times, that at the beginning of World War II they engraved it on the highest award - the knight's cross, which was awarded the most valiant officers, and only from the representation of the Führer himself.
Currently, according to the legislation in force in the
United States of America , if the military who have shown heroism have received the same award for the second, third, fourth time, then instead of the orders themselves they will be given a lapel pin with five degrees of valor - a silver oak leaf. A photo of these awards clearly demonstrates that each of the signs is different in size and is attached to the
order strap. On it, the leaves are collected in a bundle along with stems and acorns.