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Cork Oak

Quercus suber

Description:

Quercus suber is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree. It grows to up to 20 m, although it is typically more stunted in its native environment. The leaves are 4 to 7 cm long, weakly lobed or coarsely toothed, dark green above, paler beneath, with the leaf margins often downcurved. The acorns are 2 to 3 cm long, in a deep cup fringed with elongated scales.

Habitat:

In Western Europe, namely in Portugal and Spain, the Cork Oak forests are home to endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx, the most critically threatened feline in the world.The tree has a thick, insulating bark that may have been the Cork Oak's evolutionary answer to forest fires.

Notes:

It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

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4 Comments

craigwilliams
craigwilliams 12 years ago

Wow! What a beauty! Thanks.

AntónioGinjaGinja
AntónioGinjaGinja 12 years ago

uawu!fantastic tree,in what park is she precisely?near braga i can go see this old corktree,very good spot

NéliaLeonardo
NéliaLeonardo 12 years ago

Hello PinappleMan

Yes, it is a large tree and old too, it is a 700 years old tree. Nobody takes the cork from her, and lives in a natural park.

Kisses Nélia

ThePinappleMan
ThePinappleMan 12 years ago

that is the largest tree i have ever seen!

NéliaLeonardo
Spotted by
NéliaLeonardo

Braga, Portugal

Spotted on Sep 4, 2008
Submitted on Dec 4, 2011

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