Image of Kermes Oak

Description:

Slo.: no name. - syn.: (Quercus calliprinos Webb.) - Habitat: light mountain cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens) wood, moderately steep mountain slope; north aspect, among grasses; rocky, skeletal ground; full sun; elevation 1.030 m (3.400 feet); average precipitations ~ 1.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C (estimated ?), Mediterranean phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil. Comment: This variable, evergreen shrub (or three) is known from all Mediterranean countries, also from North Africa. It grows in Croatia, but not in Slovenia. Its habitus is very variable, from very small shrub (like the one on my pictures) to up to 15 m tall tree. It is interesting that it can persist as a small shrub for many years constantly fighting against grazing animals with its thorny leaves. But when, after many years, it reaches a certain size it can 'suddenly' grow to a tall tree (this happens especially often in east Mediterranean). Its two 'faces' are so distinct that botanists had considered its tree form as a different species (or subspecies) for a long time. The name of it was Quecus calliprinos (Quercus coccifera ssp. calliprinos). Also the species name of this plant is a kind of lapse. Word coccifera means bearing berries. But these red berries, which can be often seen on this plant, are not its berries but malformed leave tissue caused by an infection with the insect Kermococcus vermillio. A red cloth dye Kermes is derived from these dried female scale insects. Also the bark of the tree was used for another dye. This one was black. Ref.: (1) I. Schnfelder, P. Schnfelder, Kosmos Atlas Mittelmeer- und Kanarenflora, Kosmos, (2002), p 26. (2) M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, A & C Black, London (2005), p 31. (3) R. Domac, Flora Hrvatske (Flora of Croatia) (in Croatian), kolska Knjiga, Zagreb (1994), p 47. (4) V. Papiomytoglou, Wildblumen aus Griechenland, Mediterraneo Editions, 2006, p92.