Wildlife that consume acorns as an important part of their diets include birds, such as jays, pigeons, some ducks, and several species of woodpeckers. Acorns, along with other nuts, are termed mast. The volume of the acorn crop may vary widely, creating great abundance or great stress on the many animals dependent on acorns and the predators of those animals. Ecological role Īcorns play an important role in forest ecology when oaks are the dominant species or are plentiful. The current spelling (emerged 15c.-16c.), derives from association with ac (Old English: "oak") + corn. By degrees, popular etymology connected the word both with "corn" and "oak-horn", and the spelling changed accordingly. Chaucer spoke of "achornes of okes" in the 14th century. The word was applied to the most important forest produce, that of the oak. The word acorn (earlier akerne, and acharn) is related to the Gothic name akran, which had the sense of "fruit of the unenclosed land". Acorns take between 5 and 24 months (depending on the species) to mature see the list of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors. Two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. It usually contains one seed (occasionally The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus and Lithocarpus, in the family Fagaceae). †Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
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