Quercus calliprinos

Quercus calliprinos, the Israeli oak, is an oak classified as part of the Cerris section of the genus. It is native to eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia, and grows all across the Middle East from northern Algeria to Turkey and further eastwards. In Israel it is called the common oak (Hebrew: אלון מצוי‎, IPA: [a'lon ma'tsuj]).

Israeli oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Cerris
Species:
Q. calliprinos
Binomial name
Quercus calliprinos
Webb

It grows in the Mediterranean climate zone, mainly on limestone, in mid-elevations, often dominating the flora, alongside Pistacia palaestina.[1]

Description

Quercus calliprinos is a small to medium-sized tree or large shrub reaching 5–18 m tall (often only 1–3 m tall where heavily browsed by goats) and 1 m trunk diameter. It is evergreen, with spiny-serrated leaves 3–5 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad. The acorns are 3–4 cm long and 2–3 cm diameter when mature about 18 months after pollination, held in a cup covered in dense, elongated, reflexed scales.

Quercus calliprinos is closely related to the Kermes oak (Q. coccifera) of the western Mediterranean, and is treated as a subspecies or variety of it by some botanists. The Kermes oak is distinguished from it by its smaller size (usually shrubby, not over 10 m) and smaller acorns less than 2 cm diameter.

leaves and acorns

References
  1. Zohary, M. "The maquis of Quercus calliprinos in Israel and Jordan." Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel 9.2 (1960): 51-72.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.