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Quercus ilex

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Quercus ilex
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Cerris
Section: Quercus sect. Ilex
Species:
Q. ilex
Binomial name
Quercus ilex
Species' distribution: Q. ilex (green), Q. rotundifolia (rose)

Quercus ilex, the holm oak,[2][3] also (ambiguously, as many oaks are evergreen) evergreen oak,[4] is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the section Ilex of the genus,[5][6] with acorns that mature in a single summer.

Description

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It is a large evergreen tree, attaining in favourable places a height of 21–28 metres (69–92 feet), and developing in open situations a huge head of densely leafy branches as much across, the terminal portions of the branches often pendulous in old trees. The tallest recorded, a tree planted at Windsor Great Park, is 30.4 m tall.[7] The trunk is sometimes over 6 m (20 ft) in girth. The young shoots are clothed with a close grey felt. The leaves are very variable in shape, most frequently narrowly oval or ovate-lanceolate, 4–8 centimetres (1+1⁄2–3 inches) long (rarely to 10 cm long), 2–5 cm wide (rarely to 8 cm wide), rounded or broadly tapered at the base, pointed, the margins usually entire on mature trees, or (especially on young trees) more or less spiny-toothed. When quite young, both surfaces are clothed with whitish down, which soon falls away entirely from the upper surface leaving it a dark glossy green; on the lower surface it turns grey or tawny, and persists until the fall of the leaf; the petiole is 3–16 millimetres (1⁄8–5⁄8 in) long. The acorns are produced one to three together on a short downy stalk, ripening the first season; they are usually 12–20 mm long in the UK, the cups with adpressed, downy scales, and an often wavy margin.[2][3][8]

  • Mature acorns on a tree in Corsica
    Mature acorns on a tree in Corsica
  • Leaves and catkins in spring
    Leaves and catkins in spring
  • Quercus ilex, MHNT
    Quercus ilex, MHNT

Distribution and habitat

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Holm oak grows in pure stands or mixed forest in the Mediterranean and often at low or moderate elevations, but also at higher altitudes in the Atlas Mountains. It is native from westernmost Turkey and through Greece west to parts of the Iberian Peninsula, where it mixes with Q. rotundifolia, along the northern Mediterranean coastal belt, and in the Atlas Mountains in Tunisia and Algeria.[9]

Taxonomy

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Quercus ilex is placed in section Ilex.[10]

The closely related species Quercus rotundifolia was previously thought to be a subspecies of Q. ilex, but is now more often treated as a separate species.[9] Some authors still describe Quercus rotundifolia as a subspecies of Quercus ilex.[11][12]

Etymology

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The resemblance of the foliage to that of the common European holly, Ilex aquifolium, has led to its common and botanic names. The species name ilex was originally the classical Latin name for the holm oak, but later adopted as a botanical genus name for the hollies. The common name 'holm oak' takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly.[13]

Cultivation and uses

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The wood is hard and tough, and has been used since ancient times for general construction purposes as pillars, tools, wagons (as mentioned in Hesiod, Works and Days on page 429), vessels and wine casks.[14] It is also used as firewood and in charcoal manufacture.[15]

The holm oak is one of the top three trees used in the establishment of truffle orchards, or truffières. Truffles grow in an ectomycorrhizal association with the tree's roots.[16]

The first trees to be grown from acorns in England are still to be found within the stately grounds of Mamhead Park, Devon. From Britton & Brayley in The Beauties of England and Wales (1803):

The woods and plantations of Mamhead are numerous and extensive. Many of them were introduced by Mr Thomas Balle (sic), the last of that family who, on returning from the continent, brought with him a quantity of cork, ilex, wainscot, oak; Spanish chestnut, acacia, and other species of exotic trees.[17]

Holm oak is not officially listed as an invasive species in the United Kingdom but is naturalised, able to naturally regenerate. Normally the tree is unable to withstand severe frost, which would prevent it from spreading north, but with climate change, it has successfully penetrated and established itself in areas north of its native range.[18] The largest population of holm oak in Northern Europe is present on and around St. Boniface Down on the Isle of Wight and into the neighbouring town of Ventnor, a town known for its naturally warmer microclimate, and has shown to tolerate the high winds on the downs. It is thought that this population's propagation (which was established in the late 1800s after having been planted by Victorian residents) has been bolstered by native Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius), which harvest acorns from oak trees and store them by burying them in the ground where they may then germinate. Feral goats were brought to Ventnor to control the spread of the holm oak.[19]

It can be clipped to form a tall hedge, and it is suitable for coastal windbreaks, in any well drained soil. It forms a picturesque rounded head, with pendulous low-hanging branches. Its size and solid evergreen character gives it an imposing architectural presence that makes it valuable in many urban and garden settings. While holm oak can be grown in much of maritime northwestern Europe, it is not tolerant of cold continental winters.[20] It is a parent of Quercus × turneri, along with Quercus robur.

Holm oak was introduced to California in 1858 and is now a widely planted and locally naturalised species; it is often called "holly oak" there.[21][22]

Notable trees

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The Tree Register Champion in Gloucestershire measured 8.95 m in circumference and 12 m in height in 1993. Another tree at Courtown House, Wexford, Ireland, reputedly planted in 1648, measured 20 m in height, with a spread of 43 m in 2010.[23] An ancient tree reputed to be 500 years old at Fulham Palace, London is listed as one of the Great Trees of London.[24]

The oldest holm oak in Spain, the Encina Tres Patas de Mendaza, located in Navarre, is reputed to be 1,200 years old.[7] A specimen in Milo, in Sicily, is reputed to be 700 years old[25] while a small population on the slopes of northern village of Wardija in Malta are said to be between 500 and 1,000 years old. Prior to the Carthaginian period, holm oak was prevalent on the islands.[26]

Several holm oaks sit atop the 45 metre (148 ft) tall, 14th century Guinigi Tower in Lucca, Italy, making it a notable tourist attraction for the city.

The Roman poet Horace predicted that the ilex growing on his farm would become famous when he included it in his hymn to the Spring of Bandusia there (Odes 3.13.12–16):

fies nobilium tu quoque fontium,
me dicente cavis impositam ilicem
saxis, unde loquaces
lymphae desiliunt tuae.

(You will become one of the famous springs, too,
Now that I am telling of the ilex planted over your stone
Hollows, where your babbling
Waters leap down.)

References

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  1. ^ Rankou, H.; M'Sou, S.; Barstow, M.; Harvey-Brown, Y.; Martin, G. (2017). "Quercus ilex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T62537A3116134. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62537A3116134.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Alan F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. London: Collins. p. 237. ISBN 0-00-212035-6.
  3. ^ a b Rushforth, Keith (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. London: Trafalgar Square Publishing. p. 1069. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
  4. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  5. ^ Manos, Paul S.; Doyle, Jeff J.; Nixon, Kevin C. (1999). "Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Processes of Molecular Differentiation in Quercus Subgenus Quercus (Fagaceae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 12 (3): 333–349. Bibcode:1999MolPE..12..333M. doi:10.1006/mpev.1999.0614. PMID 10413627. S2CID 17068984.
  6. ^ Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Manos, Paul S.; Deng, Min; Hipp, Andrew L. (2017), Gil-Pelegrín, Eustaquio; Peguero-Pina, José Javier; Sancho-Knapik, Domingo (eds.), "An Updated Infrageneric Classification of the Oaks: Review of Previous Taxonomic Schemes and Synthesis of Evolutionary Patterns", Oaks Physiological Ecology. Exploring the Functional Diversity of Genus Quercus L., Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 13–38, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69099-5_2, ISBN 978-3-319-69099-5, retrieved 2022-11-16
  7. ^ a b "The thickest, tallest, and oldest Holm Oaks (Quercus ilex)". Monumental trees. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  8. ^ Bean, W. J. (1976) Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., revised. John Murray.
  9. ^ a b "Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  10. ^ Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Manos, Paul S.; Deng, Min & Hipp, Andrew L. (2017). "Appendix 2.1: An updated infrageneric classification of the oaks" (xls). figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5547622.v1. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  11. ^ Rigo, Daniele de; Caudullo, Giovanni (2016-03-21). "(PDF) Quercus ilex in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  12. ^ "Quercus rotundifolia Lam. (1785)". International Oak Society. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  13. ^ "holm etymology". Etymologogeek. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Holm Oak | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)". Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  15. ^ Uzquiano, P.; Ruiz-Zapata, MaB.; Gil-Garcia, MaJ.; Fernández, S.; Carrión, J. S. (1 December 2016). "Late Quaternary developments of Mediterranean oaks in the Atlantic domain of the Iberian Peninsula: The case of the Cantabrian region (N Spain)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 153: 63–77. Bibcode:2016QSRv..153...63U. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.10.013. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  16. ^ "The Natural Gardener". thenaturalgardener.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  17. ^ Britton, J. & Brayley, E. W. (1803). Beauties of England & Wales. Vol. 4: Devon & Cornwall, Devonshire, p. 99. Various publishers.
  18. ^ BBC News, 2008
  19. ^ "The holm oaks of Ventnor Downs". National Trust. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Buy Evergreen Oak Hedging Plants Online. Evergreen Oak for Sale Direct from Our Tree Nursery". www.kingco.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Tree of the Week: Holly oaks make good street trees". Los Angeles Times. 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  22. ^ SBB (2020-10-01). "Holly Oak". Santa Barbara Beautiful. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  23. ^ Johnson, O. (2011). Champion Trees, of Britain & Ireland, Kew Publishing, London. ISBN 9781842464526
  24. ^ Editors of Time Out (2010). The Great Trees of London, Time Out, London. ISBN 9781846701542
  25. ^ See the article about the tree Archived 2020-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Flora of the Maltese Islands, Hans Christian Weber, Bernd Kendzior, 2006, Margraf Publishers p. 184 ISBN 9783823614784

Sources

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