Quercus suber / Quercia da sughero

Origin: Mediterranean.

Botanical characteristics: It is a large evergreen tree up to 20 meters high, with very sturdy, sinuous, strong and often twisted branches and uneven, globular crown. It is characterized by a grey bark, very thick, deeply fissured, which covers the trunk and branches and from which we can obtain the cork. Oval-shaped leaves, up to 5 cm long with smooth or toothed and prickly, leathery margin, dark green and shiny on the upper side, and greyish tomentose below. It is a dioecious tree with male and female flowers separated but on same plant. Fruit: single acorns with squamous dome.

Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It is a typical Mediterranean plant, growing spontaneously in the islands and along the Tyrrhenian coast, in scrubs, in evergreen woods and on moist, acid or sub-acid soils, but it does not tolerate calcareous ones.

Use: It is used as ornamental plant, as single species in lawn or in combination with shrubs, groundcovers or perennial in flower beds. It is also used to naturalize and reforest the Mediterranean scrub. It is cultivated for cork production, especially in Sardinia.