Quercus suber L.

Evergreen tree to c. 10 (–15+) m high, with spreading canopy. Bark thick (to 5 (–7) cm or more), deeply furrowed, corky, grey. Leaves: lamina ovate (to narrow-ovate), occasionally some leaves ± elliptic or elliptic-oblong, mostly 4–7 cm long, 2–3.5 (–4) cm wide (can vary on the same plant with some smaller leaves c. 3 × 1.5 cm and larger leaves to c. 8 × 4.5 cm), tough-textured (± leathery), base rounded to truncate or occasionally subcordate, margin with (2–) 4–6 pairs of short acute teeth, rarely entire, sometimes ± wavy, the lateral veins excurrent as a short bristle or point to c. 3 mm long, the upper surface dark green and ± shiny, finally glabrous (or scattered minute stellate hairs remaining), the lower surface pale grey-green, densely tomentose with minute stellate hairs (stellate multicellular hairs illustrated in Simões et al. 2020); petiole 5–15 mm long, tomentose with indumentum similar to underleaf surface. Acorns narrow-ovoid to ± obloid, narrow-obloid-ellipsoid or ellipsoid, 1.5–4 (–4.5) cm long, singly or paired on peduncles c. 5–10 mm long; cupule up to half as long as acorn, initially shaggy from the free tips of the scales, but finally scales barely raised.

It is a temperate or Mediterranean plant. It grows naturally in the western Mediterranean. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. Arboretum Tasmania. In Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Kyneton Botanical Gardens.

Source of commercial cork, produced mainly in Spain and Portugal. Useable bark is produced after c. 20 years and may be harvested every 10 or so years thereafter (Walsh 2015). For details on cork production and other uses see Pereira (2007) and Quercus suber, in Plants of the World Online (accessed 5 April 2022). Grown in Victoria mainly for ornament, but some early plantings (e.g. Mount Beckworth near Clunes, Harcourt area) apparently intended for cork production (Walsh 2015). Similarly planted as an ornamental tree (e.g. parks, roadsides) in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, with a historical plantation established in 1917 to trial growing cork.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.