''Quercus faginea'', the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treated as a distinct species, ''Quercus tlemcenensis''. It occurs in mountains from sea level to above sea level, and flourishes in a variety of soils and climates. Out of all the oak forests in the Iberian Peninsula, the southern populations of Portuguese oak were found to have the highest diversity and endemism of spider species.

Description

''Q. faginea'' is a medium-sized deciduous or semi-evergreen tree growing to tall, with a trunk up to in diameter, with grey-brown

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

. The tree can live as long as 600 years. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are long and 1.2–4 cm broad (rarely to 15 cm long and 5 cm broad), glossy dark green to gray-green above, and variably felted grey-white below; the margins have five to 12 pairs of irregular teeth. Leaf fall is typically in mid- to late winter. The flowers are

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...

s, produced between March and April, almost always before

holm oak Holm oak may refer to: * '' Quercus ilex'', tree native to South and Southeast Europe and parts of France * '' Quercus rotundifolia'', tree native to the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa * ''Quercus agrifolia ''Quercus agrifolia'', the Cal ...

, which grows in similar areas. The

acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

s are oblong-ovoid, 2–2.5 cm long, maturing in 6 months to disperse in September or October. The species commonly develops

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...

s due to gall wasp activity; the galls are brown, 1–2 cm diameter, and have a spongy, cork-like interior.CAB International (2005)
data on ''Quercus faginea'', Forestry Compendium
. Retrieved 27 July 2006. The two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are: Portuguese oak also hybridises readily with other related oaks such as Algerian oak (''Q. canariensis'') and

downy oak ''Quercus pubescens'', the downy oak or pubescent oak, is a species of white oak (genus '' Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'') native to southern Europe and southwest Asia, from northern Spain ( Pyrenees) east to the Crimea and the Caucasus. It is al ...

(''Q. pubescens''), which can make identification difficult. The specific name ''faginea'' refers to the superficial resemblance of the leaves to those of the

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

(''Fagus'').

Uses

The wood has been used traditionally as firewood and as timber for construction (beams and posts). The acorns, like those of the

or cork oak, are an important food for free-range black Iberian pigs reared for '' jamón ibérico'' production. It is also occasionally planted as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

Gallery

Quercus faginea Archidona.jpg, ''Quercus faginea'' in wintertime Quercus faginea e bugalho.JPG, ''Quercus faginea'' subsp. ''broteroi''

References

External links

Jean Louis Helardot, Chênes: ''Quercus faginea''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2432250 faginea Flora of North Africa Trees of Europe Trees of Mediterranean climate Drought-tolerant trees Plants described in 1785