A study of some of the young turkey oaks in the Sandhill forests of North Carolina will reveal interesting characteristics. Survival in adverse environmental conditions demands protective mechanisms. Intense light, reflected from the white sands, and hot temperatures are overcome by vertical orientation of the sapling leaves — a phototropic response. Turkey oak seedlings are also known to develop deep, spread-out root systems as another survival mechanism, enabling a more efficient moisture intake. Fallen acorns usually germinate before the coming of summer heat.
These theoretical assumptions seem to make sense in the minds of most botanists.
Copyright © 2006 William T. Hathaway.