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Quercus coccifera

Plants

Family: Fagaceae · Genus: Quercus

Quercus coccifera

Hans Hillewaert · cc_by_sa

About

Quercus coccifera, commonly known as kermes oak, holly oak, or Palestine oak, is an evergreen oak shrub or tree in section Ilex of the genus. It has many synonyms, including Quercus calliprinos. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to Cyprus, Anatolia, and the Levant, crossing Spain, Italy, Libya, the Balkans, and Greece, including Crete. The Kernes oak was historically important as the food plant of Kermes scale insects, from which a red dye called crimson was obtained. The etymology of the specific name coccifera is related to the production of red cochineal (crimson) dye and derived from Latin coccum which was from Greek κόκκος, the kermes insect. The Latin -fera means 'bearer'.

Summary from Wikipedia

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Growing details and traits for Quercus coccifera in the Library.

No cultivars in the Library yet — the full profile above covers the species itself.