cork oak or cork tree
Quercus suber
Beech family (Fagaceae)
A past royal purveyor
The cork oak is an evergreen tree, which occurs naturally in Portugal and Spain. Its special quality is that it produces a thick layer of cork, which regrows after peeling and can be harvested every ten years.
Since time immemorial, this tree has been the purveyor of bottle corks but with the increasing use of plastic corks and screw caps, natural cork is becoming increasingly obsolete. As a consequence the regions where the cork oak grows, along with its unique flora and fauna, are now suffering. This tree that was once so common deserves much more respect. The special cultural landscape associated with this tree is also in decline.
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Crown jewel in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.
The roasted seed can be used as a coffee substitute.
The bark of the evergreen cork oak is used in the production of, amongst other things, corks for wine bottles. Until recently cork was also used for heat and sound insulation.
Details
Description: | Tree, up to 20 m, monoecious. |
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Distributions: | Western mediterranean (particularly portugal, spain and morocco) |
Habitat: | Open woodlands, on hills and the lower slopes, generally on acidic soils. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic evergreen) |
Hardiness: | 5 - 14 f (hardy - cold winter) |
Flowering period: | April - mei |
Flower color: | Brown, green |
Notes on flowers: | Monoecious plant with both male flowers and female flowers found on the same plant; wind pollinated. |
Notes on fruits: | 1-2 napje met kort donzige steeltje, eikel(noot) rijp in het volgende najaar |
At its best: | Mei - juli |
Sources
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Quercus+suber,http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/quercus-suber-cork-oak,
IUCN The Red List of Oaks - 2007 Oldfield S et al.,
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/194237/1,
http://oaks.of.the.world.free.fr/quercus_suber,
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c943