Quercus canariensis
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| Algerian Oak | ||||||||||||||||
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| Quercus canariensis Willd. |
The Algerian Oak or Mirbeck's Oak (Quercus canariensis) is an oak in the section Quercus sect. Mesobalanus, native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco; despite the scientific name, it does not occur naturally in the Canary Islands.
It is a medium-sized deciduous to semi-evergreen tree growing to 20-30 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves are 10-15 cm long and 6-8 cm broad, with 6-12 pairs of shallow lobes. The flowers are catkins; the fruit is an acorn 2.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, in a shallow cup.
The picture to the left is of a grand old Algerian Oak tree that was planted on 19th May, 1863. It resides within the Kyneton Botanical Gardens in the town of Kyneton in the Australian state of Australia. This tree is listed by the National Trust on the Register of Significant Trees in Victoria. There was another significant old Algerian Oak tree in Victoria at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. It was known as Lady Loch's Oak - however its trunk split in half in November 2007, due to the weight of its giant old limbs.
