Quercus faginea, the Portuguese oak, is a medium-sized deciduous or semi-evergreen oak native to the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa, grown mainly as a shade or ornamental tree. It tolerates a wide range of soils and climates, so give it full sun and well-drained ground.
Family
Fagaceae (Beech & oak family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply when young, then rely mostly on rainfall once established.
Soil
Well-drained soil; tolerates lime and a range of soil types.
Temperature
Hardy to around -15 °C once established; protect young trees from severe frost.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Iberian Pen., NW. Africa
Climate
subtropical
About
Quercus faginea, the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treated as a distinct species, Quercus tlemcenensis. It occurs in mountains from sea level to 1,900 metres (6,200 feet) above sea level, and flourishes in a variety of soils and climates. Out of all the oak forests in the Iberian Peninsula, the southern populations of Portuguese oak were found to have the highest diversity and endemism of spider species.
Uses
The wood has been used traditionally as firewood and as timber for construction (beams and posts). The acorns, like those of the holm oak or cork oak, are an important food for free-range black Iberian pigs reared for jamón ibérico production. It is also occasionally planted as an ornamental tree.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Quercus faginea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.