THE CORK OAK

Whoever plants a eucalyptus tree grows it for himself.

Whoever plants a pine tree grows it for his children.

Whoever plants a cork oak tree grows it for their grandchildren.

Latin Name:

Quercus suber.

The genus name, Quercus, is the Latin name for oak trees. The epithet name, suber, is Latin and is similar to the Greek word syphar which means "a piece of old skin" or "a piece of wrinkled skin."

Phonetic Spelling:

KWER-kus SOO-ber

Common Name(s):

Cork Oak. Cork Tree.

Description:

Cork Oak is a medium to large size attractive broadleaf evergreen shade tree that grows 70 to 100 feet tall and equally as wide. It has a short trunk, thick branches, and a rounded crown. Corky bark covers the trunk and major limbs of the tree.

The cork oak is best grown in acidic, well-drained, moist to dry soils in full sun to partial shade. It is low maintenance, deer resistant, and drought tolerant.  Because of the high levels of tannins in the leaves, bark, and acorns, oaks are toxic to horses.

The spongy bark of mature trees is used to make wine bottle corks, cork flooring, and other items. The cork is harvested when the tree reaches 30 to 40 years of age and then every 9-11 years for up to 12 times within its lifetime. 

It is native to western Africa and southwestern Europe and is found in forests and open woodlands. The Cork Oak is the National Tree of Portugal where half of the world's commercial cork is produced.

The world's largest Cork Oak tree is in a small village in Portugal and was planted in 1783. The tree is known as Sobreiro Monumental or Whistler's Tree and is over 240 years old. The tree is 53 feet tall and 14 feet in diameter. Its cork has been collected over 20 times. In 1991, the tree produced 2646 pounds of raw cork which is enough cork to stopper 100,000 wine bottles.

Seasons of Interest:

Bark:  Winter     Foliage:  Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter     Fruits:  Fall