|
| Name |
Onamental
- Quercus Ilex - Holm Oak |
| Cultivation |
Prefers
a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side. Thrives on shallow
chalky soils. Succeeds in all soils except those that are cold and poorly
drained. Grows well in sandy soils. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels
of side shade. Very resistant to maritime exposure. A very ornamental
tree but it is quite slow-growing. Transplants badly unless moved regularly
and this should be done as growth commences in late May or in September.
Fruits very freely in Britain and Ireland. The seed ripens in its first
year. . This species is notably resistant to honey fungus. |
| Family |
Fagaceae |
| Genus |
Quercus
Species: Q. ilex |
| Synonyms |
Quercus
Ilex: Evergreen Oak, Holm Oak, Holly Oak |
| Known
Hazards |
None
Known |
| Range |
Evergreen
Oak, is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. Spanish
named "las encinas", it is a member of the white oak section of
the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. |
| Height |
It
is a medium-size tree 20-27 m tall with finely square-fissured blackish
bark and leathery evergreen leaves. |
| Habitat |
Woodland
Garden; Canopy; Hedge; |
| Characteristics |
A
rounded and ornamental , evergreen tree with lance-shaped dark green leaves
and smooth dark grey bark. In June the new, silver-white leaves appear,
along with the golden-yellow male catkins, followed in autumn by rounded
acorns, either singularly or in bunches. An attractive tree which tolerates
salt spray and strong winds, and is often seen planted as a windbreak or
along avenues in coast towns. Fully hardy and a slow grower. The old leaves
fall 1-2 years after new leaves emerge. The leaves are dark green above,
and pale whitish-grey with dense short hairs below. The leaf shape is variable,
the adult leaves are entire, 4-8 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, while those on
the lower branches of young trees are often larger (to 10 cm long), and
are toothed or somewhat spiny. This is presumed to be for protection from
grazing animals. In this, the foliage resembles that of the common European
Holly Ilex aquifolium, and this resemblance has led to its common and botanic
names. The name ilex is originally the classical Latin name for the Holm
Oak, but was later also used as a botanical genus name for the hollies.
The flowers are catkins, produced in the spring; the fruit is an acorn,
which matures in about 6 months. |
| Edible
Uses |
Edible
Parts: Seed.
Edible Uses: Coffee; Oil.
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be sweet or bitter. The seed is up to 3cm long,
it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews
etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed from some trees contains
bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed
in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole
seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It
can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method
was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the
powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been
leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in
boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when
it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee
substitute. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. |
| Medicinal
Uses |
None
Known |
| Other
Uses |
Fuel;
Hedge; Repellent; Shelterbelt; Tannin; Wood.
A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should
not be used as these can inhibit plant growth. Oak galls are excrescences
that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused
by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside
these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and
leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be
used as a dyestuff. Very tolerant of maritime exposure and of trimming,
it can be grown as a shelterbelt tree or hedge in maritime areas. Wood -
strong, hard, durable. Used for furniture. It makes a good charcoal and
a good fuel, burning well even if green. The bark is a source of tannin. |
| Propagation |
Seed
- it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored
moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor
seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities
of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep
taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon
as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees. Trees
should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without
being moved or they will transplant very badly. |
| Cultivars |
The
sub-species Q. ilex ballota is cultivated for its sweet-tasting edible seed
in Portugal and Spain. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus |
|
|
|
|