How do you recognise Cork oak (Quercus suber)?

Leaf

Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cork oak

Quercus suber L.

Family: Fagaceae

10 to 20 m tall

Mediterranean forests and maquis, siliceous soils

Flowering: April – May

Full sun

Not very hardy, frost-sensitive below about -10°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The cork oak is one of the only trees whose entire bark can be harvested without killing it — it grows back in 9 to 12 years, allowing a sustainable cork harvest throughout its life, which can exceed 200 years. Both are Mediterranean oaks with leathery evergreen leaves, but the cork oak has thick, fissured, corky bark, whereas that of the holm oak stays smooth and grey.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, leathery, ovate to oblong, dark green above and greyish white beneath; young leaves can be more toothed or spiny.

🌸 Flowers

Yellowish hanging male catkins; tiny, inconspicuous female flowers

🍎 Fruits

Elongated acorn, with a cup covered in soft, downy scales

🪵 Bark

Very thick, spongy, deeply fissured bark on trees managed for cork. Cork harvesting removes the outer layer without felling the tree when done correctly.

🗺️ Distribution

Mediterranean rim, notably Provence, Corsica and the Pyrénées-Orientales

🐝 Value for pollinators

Wind-pollinated, little direct value for pollinators

✂️ Horticultural uses

Managed for its bark (cork), also planted as an ornamental tree in Mediterranean climates

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity; acorns rich in tannins, bitter but non-toxic

⚠️ Look-alike species

Cork oak

Quercus suber

Holm oak

Quercus ilex

Both are Mediterranean oaks with leathery evergreen leaves, but the cork oak has thick, fissured, corky bark, whereas that of the holm oak stays smooth and grey.

🌿 Other Fagaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.