The acorn is the fruit of oaks (genera Quercus, Lithocarpus and Cyclobalanopsis, in the family Fagaceae). It is a nut, containing a single seed (rarely two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1-6 cm long and 0.8-4 cm broad. Acorns take about 6 or 24 months (depending on the species) to mature; see List of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors.

Nutrition

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Acorns are thus one of the most important wildlife foods in areas where oaks occur. Creatures that make acorns an important part of their diet include birds such as jays, pigeons, some ducks and several species of woodpeckers. Small mammals that feed on acorns include mice, squirrels and several other rodents. Large mammals such as pigs, bears and deer also consume large amounts of acorns; they may constitute up to 25% of the diet of deer in the autumn. In some of the large oak forests in southwest Europe, pigs are still turned loose in oak groves in the autumn, to fill and fatten themselves on acorns. However, acorns are toxic to some other animals, such as horses.

In some human cultures, acorns once constituted a dietary staple, though they are now generally only a very minor food.

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@bwJen you know, I don't think I've had acorn squash...this was your first time?
brandiev (Brandie) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:31:48 -0000
@bwJen you know, I don't think I've had acorn squash...this was your first time?
@ clifanderson even a blind hog gets lucky now and then and finds an acorn. Phantom PI call totally bailed out the cowgirls.
brentadavis (Brent A. Davis) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:30:01 -0000
@ clifanderson even a blind hog gets lucky now and then and finds an acorn. Phantom PI call totally bailed out the cowgirls.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
MindFortune (D. R. Fortune) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:29:16 -0000
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