''Quercus pyrenaica'', also known as Pyrenean oak,
or Spanish oak is a tree native to southwestern
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and northwestern
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
. Despite its common name, it is rarely found in the
Pyrenees Mountains and is more abundant in northern Portugal and north and northwestern Spain.
It is placed in
section ''Quercus''.
The oak is cultivated as an
ornamental tree for gardens and parks.
Description
''Quercus pyrenaica'' is a tall
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree, often
marcescent in immature individuals,
up to tall, though it is sometimes found as a bush or small tree. It has an average lifespan of 300 years.
The
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
have short petioles and are deeply and irregularly lobed, with four to eight pairs of lobes per leaf. There are stellate hairs on both sides of the leaf.
Roots frequently produce
suckers. The species has high resprouting capabilities.
Distribution and habitat
''Quercus pyrenaica'' is native to the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
and parts of southwest France and northern Morocco inhabiting mainly subatlantic or continental environments up to in elevation.
In the Iberian Peninsula, which represents 95% of its population,
it occupies mainly the northern portion, south of the
Cantabrian Mountains, very common in the west of the Peninsula in the northern half of mountainous Portugal,
and rare on the east
It is adapted both to sub-humid temperate and Mediterranean semi-arid conditions, from the humid
Peneda-Gerês National Park in Portugal, to the semi-arid Spanish central plain. It is also adapted to survive in hot local temperatures. It is thought to have a short growth season to avoid the summer drought.
It is often the dominant species in the forests in which it occurs.
Its acorns are dispersed by birds and small mammals.
Threats
The species is currently threatened by wild fire which encourage the growth of other oak species that ''Q. pyrenaica'' is unable to compete with, and insect pathogens such as green oak leaf roller moth (''
Tortrix viridana''), the gipsy moth (''
Lymantria dispar'') and
brown-tail moth (''Euproctis chrysorrhoea''); these threats may become of greater concern due to the impact of climate change.
Historically the species experienced decline due to charcoal and timber industry, and forestry activities still pose some threat to ''Q. pyrenaica'' but on a much reduced scale.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
pyrenaica
Flora of North Africa
Trees of Europe
Flora of Portugal
Flora of Spain
Flora of France
Flora of Morocco
Trees of Mediterranean climate
Garden plants of Europe
Drought-tolerant trees
Ornamental trees
Plants described in 1805