Downy oak

The oak has a dark grey bark which is deeply fissured. Its lobed leaves, downy on their undersides, remain dried out on the tree until the spring. The fruits, called acorns, ripen in the autumn. The oak can grow at up to 1,500 metres above sea level, on well exposed slopes. Also called the white oak, the downy oak is well known for hosting truffles among its roots. This fungus develops 30 to 40 cm underground, and the difficulty in finding it makes it a culinary delicacy.