''Quercus alnifolia'', commonly known as the golden oak, is an evergreen

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

species of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

. 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 Troodos (sometimes spelled Troödos; el, Τρόοδος ; tr, Trodos Dağları) is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympus ( el, Όλυμπος), also known as Chion ...

. In February 2006, the parliament of Cyprus selected the golden oak to be the country's national tree.

Description

The golden oak is a much branched

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub or small tree up to high. Due to its short stature (in relation to other oaks) it is sometimes referred to as the ''dwarf oak''. Its leaves are simple, obovate to suborbicular, long, 1–7 cm wide,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

and shining dark green above and densely golden or brownish

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

below, with serrate margins and raised nervation. The petioles are strong, long and pilose. The flowers are unisexual; the male catkins are greenish-yellow forming spreading or pendulous clusters at the tips of the branches; the female flowers are axillary, solitary or in groups of 2–3. The acorns are narrowly

obovate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

or subcylindrical, usually tapering towards the base, 2–2.5 cm long and 0.8–1.2 cm wide, with a woody endocarp and cupule with strongly recurved scales.

Taxonomy

''Quercus alnifolia'' belongs to section ''Cerris'', as with much of the mediterranean evergreen oak species. Occasional hybridization with

palestine oak ''Quercus calliprinos'' is an oak classified as part of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus growing in the Mediterranean climate zone, mainly on limestone, in mid-elevations, often dominating the flora, alongside terebinths (''Pistacia terebint ...

(''Quercus'' ''calliprinos'') has been described.

Distribution and habitat

''Quercus alnifolia'' is restricted to Troodos Massif, where it grows on

igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ...

geological substrate at altitudes of . It occupies dry habitats in association with ''

Pinus brutia ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey. Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturali ...

'' or forms dense maquis in mesic habitats, characterized by deep forest soils.

Ecology

Golden oak offers soil stabilisation against erosion due to its ability to colonize stony and rocky slopes. In its distribution area, ''Q. alnifolia'' is the most important broadleaved species forming pure or mixed stands, within the conifer (''Pinus brutia'', '' Pinus nigra'') dominated forests of Cyprus. Thick stands of ''Q. alnifolia'' in mesic habitats, considerably modify the humidity conditions of the site and form forest soils with "mull" humus favouring the existence of sciophilous herbal species. Like other members of the oak genus, ''Q. alnifolia'' forms mutually beneficial, ectomycorrhizal associations with various

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. A preliminary study in 2011, reported over 80 mycorrhizal fungi to be associated with the golden oak; the total number, however, is estimated to be much higher.

Conservation

Golden oak is protected by the forest law of Cyprus, while the habitat type "Scrub and low forest vegetation of ''Quercus alnifolia'' (9390)" is a priority habitat of Europe (directive 92/43/EEC). Large forest expanses of the species have been proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 ecological network of the European Union.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1193791 alnifolia Cyprus Mediterranean forests Endemic flora of Cyprus Plants described in 1842 Trees of Mediterranean climate