Algerian oak

Description

Quercus canariensis, the Algerian oak, Mirbeck's oak or zean oak, is an oak in the section Quercus sect. Mesobalanus, native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur naturally today in the Canary Islands, though it may have in the past. Quercus canariensis is a medium-sized deciduous to semi-evergreen tree growing to 20–30 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves are 10–15 cm long and 6–8 cm broad, with 6-12 pairs of shallow lobes. The flowers are catkins; the fruit is an acorn 2.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, in a shallow cup. Quercus canariensis is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Grand old Algerian oak tree was planted on 19 May 1863. It resides within the Kyneton Botanical Gardens in the town of Kyneton in the Australian state of Victoria. This tree is listed by the National Trust on the Register of Significant Trees in Victoria. There are also two good specimens located in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, one of which is believed to have been planted in 1920. There was another significant old Algerian oak tree in Victoria at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. It was known as Lady Loch's Oak - however its trunk split in half in November 2007, due to the weight of its giant old limbs. The tree has been extensively planted in Canberra. There are over a dozen mature trees in St Vincent Gardens, Albert Park, Victoria some possibly dating back to the late 19th to early 20th century. An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus ("oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus (stone oaks), as well as in those of unrelated species such as Grevillea robusta (silky oaks) and the Casuarinaceae (she-oaks). The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. North America has the largest number of oak species, with approximately 160 species in Mexico of which 109 are endemic and about 90 in the United States. The second greatest area of oak diversity is China, with approximately 100 species.