acorn

Nut of the oak tree

The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives. It usually contains one seed, enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns are 1–6 centimetres long and 0.8–4 cm on the fat side. Acorns take between 6 and 24 months to mature; see the list of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors.

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