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Species: Quercus suber L., Cork oak

 

Family: Fagaceae

 

Figure 1:Quercus suber,  Duarte Frade, iNaturalist.

 

 

These trees (Quercus suber) are historical trees, which predate to 1965 and were planted by Berend Elbrecht who was the founder of the Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden. Quercus suber also called cork oak, is classified as a medium sized evergreen oak and is one of approximately 500 species in the genus Quercus.³

 

Quercus suber can reach heights of 10-15 metres and have a trunk diameter of 50-90 cm. It has a rounded crown, a short trunk, and thick branches.² This tree is naturally distributed around the western Mediterranean basin.¹ The external bark (cork) consists of dead, air-filled, thin-walled cells which contains Cellulose and suberin.⁴ It also has fruits called acorns, which contains one seed, shelled by a leathery coat and inside a cup-shaped capsule.

Figure 2: The bark of the tree. simjar, iNaturalist.

 

Figure 3: Flowers of the Cork oak. Duarte Frade,iNaturalist.

 

 

It is harvested commercially and processed to make products including wine corks, insulation panels, floor and wall tiles and sound-proofing material.¹ The bark is also known to have medicinal uses as any galls that are produced on the tree are strongly astringent. This makes it valuable in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhages and many more.⁵ The bark can also be used as an antiseptic and haemostatic that is used to cure gastropathies and toothaches.⁶ This tree is low maintenance and because of the high level of tannins in the leaves, bark, and acorns it is toxic to horses.²

 

This species is commercially grown in several African and European countries. It requires full light and dense populations are not beneficial. It thrives in warmth and grows at a mean temperature of 16-17 ℃ but can withstand a minimum of -10 ℃ and a maximum of 40 ℃.  Cork oaks have a low soil demand which means they can grow in poor, dry/rocky areas.³ The perfect soil type should have a pH of 4.5-7.  Quercus suber can reach heights of 10-15 metres and have a trunk diameter of 50-90 cm. It has a rounded crown, a short trunk, and thick branches.⁴

 

The Cork oak falls under the category of pyrophytes, which means that they recover quickly after a fire with the help of the protection from the cork. Harvesting of the external bark can start after about 25 years after it has been planted and thereafter harvesting can occur every 9-12 years using axes and knives. Waiting until the tree turns 25 years old ensures that stripping the bark of the tree does not lead to damage or any sort of disadvantage to the tree.

 

Figure 4: Partly harvested bark of the cork oak. Charcos Companhia,iNaturalist.

 

 

 

 

References

1)Garden, M. B., 2022. Missouri Botanical Garden. [Online]
Available at: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280726
[Accessed 3 November 2022].

 

2)University, N. s., 2018. North Carolina Extension gardener Plant toolbox. [Online]
Available at: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-suber/
[Accessed 3 November 2022].

 

3)Radulovich, T., 2022. Wikipedia. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_suber
[Accessed 3 november 2022].

 

4)wikiwand, 2022. Wikiwand. [Online]
Available at: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Quercus_suber
[Accessed 3 November 2022].

 

5) University, A., 2012. Campus Arboretum. [Online]
Available at: https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=244

[Accessed 4 November 2022]

 

6) M, T., Rezzak Y, B. L. & B, L., 2020. Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology Activities of Quercus Species. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415107/#__ffn_sectitle
[Accessed 4 November 2022]

 

Images

Duarte Frade, iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/309599391

Charcos Companhia,iNaturalist.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/178045084

Duarte Frade,iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/279317490

simjar, iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/278395176