BRIT Collections
Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Plant specimen (2016-04-22) by Dag Terje Filip EndresenBRIT Collections
Quercus suber is a broadleaf evergreen tree also known as Cork Oak and Cork Tree due to its usage in the production of cork. The Latin name for the Oak tree genus is Quercus, and the Latin name suber is similar to the Greek word "syphar," meaning "a piece of old/wrinkled skin."
Plant specimen (1800/1819) by Pierre-Joseph Redouté and Rawpixel LtdBRIT Collections
Illustration by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Quercus suber is native to the Mediterranean region, including Southwestern Europe and Northwestern Africa. Specific countries of interest include: Algeria, France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicilia, Spain, and Tunisia and the islands of Corsica.
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The Sobreiro Monumental
Quercus suber is the National Tree of Portugal, where around half of the world's commercial cork is produced. The European Union protects Quercus suber forests and they cannot legally be cut down in Portugal with the exception of forest management.
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The Sobreiro Monumental
Not only is Portugal a large producer of commercial cork, it is also the home to the world's largest and most productive Quercus suber. In the small village of Águas de Moura stands The Sobreiro Monumental (Monumental Cork Oak).
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The Sobreiro Monumental
It is over 230 years old, over 53 feet tall, and has been harvested for cork over 20 times. In 2018, it was voted "European Tree of the Year." The tree is lovingly referred to as “The Whistler Tree” due to the sounds songbirds create when they land amongst the tree's branches.
"In 1991, the tree produced 2646 pounds of raw cork which is enough cork to stopper 100,000 wine bottles," (Rose, 2021).
Plant specimen (2012-11-18) by R.E. Riefner, Jr.BRIT Collections
Quercus suber
Quercus suber collected by R.E. Riefner, Jr. in Irvine, California in 2012.
Plant specimen (1983-09-24) by Fred DunhamBRIT Collections
Quercus suber grow to 70-100 feet tall and are equally as wide. Its branches are thick, low, and twisted. The tree has a short trunk and a rounded crown. The tree's leaves are green in color and range between 4-7 centimeters in length.
Plant specimen (1983-10-12) by Fred DunhamBRIT Collections
The tree's leaves are green in color and range between 4-7 centimeters in length.
Plant specimen (2009-10-03) by XemenenduraBRIT Collections
Once a year, Quercus suber produces fruit known as acorns. The acorns are oblong in shape, have a scaly cap, and are between 2-3 centimeters in length.
Plant specimen (2009-10-03) by XemenenduraBRIT Collections
This fruit attracts various forms of wildlife such as birds and felines. However, the tannins in the trees' leaves, bark, and acorns are toxic to horses.
Plant specimen (-2006-09-25) by Georges JansooneBRIT Collections
The bark of Quercus suber is light grey in color with deep, reddish-brown furrows. The spongy bark that covers the trunk of the tree is harvested as cork.
When Quercus suber reach between 25-40 years of age, harvesting for cork production begins. Harvesting can continue every 6-12 years for up to 12 years of the tree's lifetime. A large Cork Oak tree can yield up to 1 tonne of cork.
Plant specimen (2006-02-12) by Martin OlssonBRIT Collections
The bark of Quercus suber has been harvested for thousands of years. The Romans discovered the floating capabilities of Quercus suber and utilized it in buoys for fishing nets as well as sandals.
Since the medieval times, Quercus suber has been used to insulate buildings, including protecting monasteries from summer sun and heat.
Harvesting this cork is eco-friendly and sustainable.
Cork is obtained by peeling the thick bark away from the tree by hand and leaving a thin layer of "new bark" still covering the trunk. Harvesting cork from the tree does not harm the tree and a new layer of cork regrows in its place.
Sample of Cork Insulation for Steam Pipes (1867) by anoniemRijksmuseum
Harvested cork is utilized for wine stoppers, sound and heat insulation, floats, flooring, fishing rod grips, and notice boards.
Quercus suber: The Cork Oak
Story created by Philecology Herbarium, Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
References:
Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens: Kew, (n.d.). Quercus suber- L. Royal Botanic Gardens: Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:296785-1/general-information#vernacular-names
N.C. Cooperative Extension, (n.d.). Quercus suber. NC State University and N.C. A&T State University. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-suber/
Plants For A Future, (n.d.). Quercus suber - L. Plants For A Future. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Quercus+suber
Rose, S., (2021, March 25). The Sobreiro Monumental (Monumental Cork Oak). Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sobreiro-monumental-monumental-cork-oak
Spencer, P., (2015, July 3). Cork, sustainable forestry. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKnLznfE1c
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