Quercus ilex ssp. rotundifolia

Common name: Holm oak, Holm oak, Sweet oak

Description:

It differs from the Holm Oak in that its leaves are more rounded, normally with prickly young leaves and slower growth. The acorn is bigger and sweeter. But it is very difficult to tell them apart.

It is one of the most representative trees of the arboreal forest stratum of the Iberian Peninsula, considered one of the climax elements of the vegetation that makes up the Mediterranean forest. The oak forms a globose and voluminous crown, slow growing, in some parts of Spain it forms dehesas when it is cultivated together with other species of the Genus Quercus.

It is an evergreen tree that can reach 25 meters in height, belonging to the Fagaceae Family, it has leathery leaves, dark green on the upper side, and lighter and tomentose on the underside, they are characterized by having spiny edges, especially in the lower branches or when the specimen is young. The leaves located in the upper part of the crown are devoid of these spines. The fact that the leaves are so coriaceous is what allows the oak to grow in dry areas with great sun exposure, such as areas with a Mediterranean climate.

It has a gray bark at first, cracked when it is adult, and a very strong black color that makes it very characteristic.

The oak is a monoecious species, although it can sometimes behave dioeciously. The male flowers are presented in catkins, grouped in small branches. The female ones are small; they come out isolated or in groups of two, on the buds of the year. The flowers give rise to the acorn, used as food. The acorns are dark brown glans when they mature (before, logically green), shiny and with a characteristic dome formed by very tight and dense bracts.

The oak is an advanced and complex tree within the native flora of the Iberian Peninsula, the queen of the Mediterranean forest, its roots produce symbiosis with microrhizae, some of the tuber genus, which makes the oak highly valued in the agricultural economy for the production of truffles.

Culture:

The oak can be found throughout the Mediterranean arch whose climate is dry, bright and hot. From sea level to 1,500 m above sea level, the oak grows in all types of soils, easily reproducing for its acorns, which always fall and grow sheltered from the shade of another oak. As the climate warms up and the rains increase, the holm oaks are replaced by their sister oaks, gall oaks or cork oaks, all of the Genus Quercus.

Oak crops are used for acorn production, which is an excellent feed for livestock. They form meadows that are large extensions of pasture land, accompanied by groves of oaks that are a magnificent refuge for Mediterranean fauna. The meadows are a characteristic landscape of the Iberian countryside.

The wood of the oak, moreover, is extraordinarily hard and rot-proof, it has been used to generate pieces with great use (cars, boats, etc). It has been used to make charcoal, which caused the oak forest surfaces to be greatly affected during the 19th and 20th centuries for charcoal production in those places where pastures could not be made.

The oak hardly requires irrigation, or subscribers, not even pruning. It is a very easy-care tree, currently many administrations are beginning to implant it in urban parks and gardens, due to its landscape and natural value, as well as being representative of the native flora. As it is a tree that grows slowly and strongly, it does not cause breakage problems or serious damage to services or infrastructures. It also provides a splendid shade that delights users of parks and gardens.

Multiplication:

The oak reproduces easily with acorns, which can be germinated, especially when the acorn is recent, if it is too dry, it will not germinate. The oak needs a certain amount of shade to germinate and develop the seedling, which is why the Quercus (unlike other Mediterranean tree species) grow in the shade of their mother. In the reforestation, the oaks are placed under a tree canopy that has light filtered by the tops of other trees so that the seedling can develop, once the oak grows enough, the leaves become more leathery and can withstand full exposure. Sun.

Holm oaks can also reproduce by cutting, dividing the bush, or regrowth of their root system.

Applications:

Formation of meadows for the production of acorns used in feeding livestock. Oak fields are also formed for the production of truffles. Its wood is usable and has been used to produce charcoal.

Currently they have a great ornamental use, due to their slow growth and because they have an extraordinary size in the adult state, which increases the landscape value of green areas and generates impressive shaded areas.