Quercus alnifolia

Quercus alnifolia, commonly known as the golden oak, is an evergreen oak species of Cyprus. Its common English name refers to the golden coloured lower surface of its leaves. Quercus alnifolia belongs to the endemic flora of the island and it is confined to the igneous geological complex of the Troodos Mountains. In February 2006, the parliament of Cyprus selected the golden oak to be the country's national tree.

Taxonomy

Quercus alnifolia belongs to section Cerris, as with much of the mediterranean evergreen oak species. Occasional hybridization with kermes oak (Quercus coccifera ssp. calliprinos) has been described.

Description

The Golden oak is a much branched evergreen shrub or small tree up to 10 m high. Due to its short stature (in relation to other oaks) it is sometimes referred to as the dwarf oak.

Its leaves are simple, ovobate to suborbicular, 1.5–6(–10) cm long, 1–5 (–8) cm wide, glabrous and shining dark green above and densely golden or brownish tomentose below, with serrate margins and raised nervation. Leave petioles are strong, 6–10 (–12) mm long and pilose. Flowers are unisexual; male catkins are greenish-yellow forming spreading or pendulous clusters at the tips of the branches; female are axillary, solitary or in groups of 2–3. Acorns are narrowly obovate or subcylindrical, usually tapering towards base, 2–2.5 cm long and 0.8–1.2 cm wide, with a woody endocarp and cupule with strongly recurved scales.

Golden Oak Ranch

Golden Oak Ranch is an 890 acres (3.6 km²) movie ranch owned by the Disney Studio Services division of Walt Disney Studios subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that serves as a filming location and backlot. The ranch is off of Placerita Canyon Road in Canyon Country, California, less than an hour north of Los Angeles; its entrance is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Placerita Canyon Road's intersection with State Route 14.

History

The ranch is on land that was part of the Rancho San Francisco land grant. It was named in honor of Francisco Lopez, the man credited with discovering gold in California, years before the discovery that precipitated the California Gold Rush.

Walt Disney bought the 315-acre (1.27 km²) ranch in 1959 for $300,000. Subsequent purchases of adjacent land grew the area of the ranch to 890 acres (3.6 km²).

Expansion

In May 2013, Disney announced plans to redevelop 58 acres of the property into a new film and television production studio, consisting of six new sound stages and production offices. The site will be called Disney | ABC Studios at The Ranch. The project was approved by Los Angeles County in August 2013.

Walt Disney

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (/ˈdɪzni/; December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, and film producer. He was a prominent figure within the American animation industry and throughout the world, and is regarded as a cultural icon, known for his influence and contributions to entertainment during the 20th century. As a Hollywood business mogul, he and his brother Roy O. Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company.

As an animator and entrepreneur, Disney was particularly noted as a filmmaker and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created numerous famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Disney himself was the original voice for Mickey. During his lifetime, he won 22 Academy Awards and received four honorary Academy Awards from a total of 59 nominations, including a record of four in one year, giving him more Oscar awards and nominations than any other individual in history. Disney also won seven Emmy Awards and gave his name to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the U.S., as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disney Resort.