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Quercus lusitanica
Also called Dyer's Oak, Gall Oak, Lusitanian Oak
Quercus lusitanica is a shrubby oak from Portugal, southwest Spain and Morocco, usually low and spreading, though it can grow into a small tree. It is grown mainly for its gall-producing habit and as a tough garden oak in mild, maritime climates.
Quercus lusitanica, commonly known as gall oak, Lusitanian oak, or dyer's oak, is a species of oak native to Portugal, Spain (Galicia and western Andalucia) and Morocco. Quercus lusitanica is the source of commercial nutgalls. These galls are produced by the infection from the insect Cynips gallae tinctoriae. They are used for dyeing.
Several other species are known colloquially as "gall oaks;" indeed, galls can be found on a large percentage of oak species. The specific epithet "lusitanica" refers to the ancient Roman Province of Lusitania, corresponding roughly to present-day Portugal and Extremadura in Spain.
Quercus lusitanica is native to the Iberian Peninsula (in Portugal and western Andalusia, Spain, also rare on Galicia) and Morocco It is commonly associated in oak and pine forests and does well in acidic soils. It favors mild coastal Mediterranean climates but it also succeeds in moist, mild, maritime climates. It is relatively sensitive to cold temperatures and is hardy down to −8 °C (18 °F). It inhabits sandy or gravelly soils up to 600 m (2,000 ft) in elevation.
Quercus affinis · Coast Live Oak · White Oak · Golden Oak · Scrub oak · Brant's oak · Turkey Oak · Canyon Live Oak · Scarlet Oak · Daimyo oak · Blue oak · Leather oak
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Quercus lusitanica 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.
