Lithuania · #2 tree Sacred tree of the god Perkūnas; symbol of the nation’s strength
Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur · locally: paprastasis ąžuolas
The tree of the thunder god Perkūnas – Lithuania’s oldest oak, at Stelmužė, is estimated to be over a thousand years old.
The pedunculate oak is a mighty, long-lived tree with a spreading crown, thick, deeply fissured bark and lobed leaves on short stalks. Its acorns hang on long stalks. It grows on fertile soils in broadleaf forests, river valleys and wooded meadows. Its hard, durable wood was valued in building and cooperage, and its bark was used for tanning hides. Old oaks are home to rare beetles, lichens and fungi.
Significance in the country
In the pagan religion of the Lithuanians the oak was the tree of the thunder-wielding Perkūnas, and an eternal fire burned in sacred oak groves. The Stelmužė Oak in the Zarasai district, with a girth of over 9 m, is considered Lithuania’s oldest tree and one of the oldest in Europe.
Where it grows
Throughout the country, most abundantly in the broadleaf forests of central and western Lithuania and in the Nemunas valley; the Stelmužė Oak grows in Utena County, in the Zarasai district.
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