''Quercus rotundifolia'', the holm oak or ballota oak, is an
evergreen oak native to the western
Mediterranean region, with the majority on the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was
first described by
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...
in 1785. It is the typical species of the Iberian ''
dehesa'' or ''montado'', where its sweet-astringent acorns are a source of food for livestock, particularly the
Iberian pig. It has previously been described in the same species as ''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer.
Description
An evergre ...
''. Its
acorns have been used for human nourishment since the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
era (7,000 BC).
Description
''Quercus rotundifolia'' is a medium to large tree, usually in height, but can reach up to with a large, dense, rounded
canopy. It has small, leathery, dark-green leaves with a
glaucous, densely pubescent underside usually suborbicular to elliptical or lanceolate and are generally spiny to dentate on a younger tree.
It has a semi-hemispheric
cupule.
It flowers from February to April.
Seedlings will start flowering at about 8 years old, but they will not start producing acorns until 15 to 20 years old, although trees in humid, good quality soils can start its production as early as 10 years.
The acorns ripen in autumn, about 6 months after pollination.
It is a very resilient tree that can survive temperatures below , and can live in conditions with temperatures that on occasion reach during summer months.
As opposed to ''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer.
Description
An evergre ...
'', its acorns have a very low level of bitter
tannins and as a result are generally sweet and a good energy source for livestock.
Distribution and habitat
''Quercus rotundifolia'' is native to most of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
(
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
), but is also distributed throughout
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
, especially in the
Atlas Mountains,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(
Languedoc-Roussillon) and the
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...
. It is present in continental, sub-continental or littoral
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
areas but always in climatic conditions determined by a fairly hot and dry summer,
which excludes the wet, oceanic influenced climate of
Green Spain and northwest Portugal, but wet winters as the tree is absent from arid climates, or with no real wet months like southeast Spain.
It grows in a variety of soils and is indifferent to
edaphic conditions, persisting in soils with pH 6 to 8.
The tree is also associated in holm oak/
Atlas cedar forests of the
Atlas Mountains. In Morocco, some of these mixed forests are
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
to the
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
Barbary macaque.
The tree inhabits dense oak forests to open oak forests or sub-
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...
ecosystems, from sea level up to
a.s.l. It can live in all altitudes in Portugal, switching with ''
Quercus suber''.
The grasses and herbs support low-density mixed animal grazing at the wetter time of year, and when the grasses die out in summer the acorns from the oak trees (at densities of 30 to 50 trees per hectare), plus oak foliage and some saved crops support the animals until the grasses return.
It can tolerate frost and short periods of light snow.
Threats
This species is threatened by the destruction of its habitat to make way for agriculture and to plant vineyards, pine or eucalyptus plantations.
Like other perennial oaks in the Iberian Peninsula, ''Quercus rotundifolia'' is also affected by ''
Phytophthora cinnamomi'', that is becoming more dangerous due to the increased frequency and duration of droughts associated with climate changes and especially in Portugal, a decline for the taxa has been reported.
The tree is also affected by
wildfires,
though it regenerates well from
resprouts after it.
The leaves are also eaten by
case moth caterpillars, but the tree is not particularly threatened by them.
In
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, the caterpillar of the
puriri moth has also been observed to feed on the tree's bark.
The tree is notably resistant to
honey fungus.
The holm oak, along with the
cork oak is a protected tree by law in Portugal.
Use
The holm oak's wood is traditionally used to make
charcoal. The acorns can be consumed both by animals and humans. The bark is rich in tannin components for traditional medicinal uses.
''Quercus rotundifolia'' is also used as a host plant for the production of both the black truffle (''
Tuber melanosporum'') and the summer truffle (
''Tuber aestivum'' var ''aestivum'').
The tree's acorns have been used by humans since the Neolithic era. The inhabitants of the southern Iberian Peninsula 9,000 years ago collected acorns of ''Q. rotundifolia'' in autumn (November), gently toasted them in order to preserve them throughout the year, ground them in manual granite mills, and ingested the flour in soups or breads.
Notable trees
It was above a ''Quercus rotundifolia'' where an
apparition of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...
, reported by
Francisco, Jacinta and
Lúcia, took place. The small tree has since disappeared and its pieces now
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
s, but other ''Quercus rotundifolia'' near the site persist till this day, one of them being a tree of public interest.
Gallery
File:Quercus rotundifolia 4.JPG, Large oaks in La Torre
La Torre is a municipality composed of the following districts, Balbarda, Blacha, Guareña, Oco and Sanchicorto located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
In ...
File:Bellotas de Quercus rotundifolia.jpg, Acorns
File:Quercus ilex a germinar.jpg, ''Q. rotundifolia'' germinating
File:Quercus rotundifolia 11.JPG, Rough aspect of the trunk, commonly seen in older trees
File:20190530 Spain and Portugal El Camino Pilgrimage 0160 (48002586721).jpg, ''Q. rotundifolia'' forest in Valinhos, Fátima
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q220715
rotundifolia
Flora of Southwestern Europe
Flora of North Africa
Flora of Portugal
Flora of Spain
Flora of Morocco
Flora of France
Flora of Algeria
Flora of Tunisia
Trees of Mediterranean climate
Plants described in 1785
Flora of the Mediterranean Basin