Oaks of the World

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  Quercus alnifolia
Author Poech 1842 Enum. Pl. Cypr. 12 1842.
Synonyms cypria Jaub. & Spach 1843 , not Kotschy
Local names Cyprus golden oak;
Range Cyprus; introduced in Europe (France) in 1815;
Growth habit 6-8 m tall; smaller in cultivation (2-3 m); slow growing;
Leaves 3-6 cm long, 2-5 cm wide; evergreen; leathery; rounded or broadly oval; apex obtuse, sometimes shortly acuminate; base rounded; margin toothed ( 4-9 pairs of short teeth in apical 1/2) except near base, often revolute; glossy dark green, convex above, with impressed veins; golden felted below, at least when young, then brown, later blackish, glabrescent only on veins; 5-6 veins pairs, sunken above, prominent beneath; petiole 0.5-1 cm long, densely tomentose;
Flowers male catkin 1.5-2.5 cm long, hairy, densely flowered; female catkin 1-1.5 cm long, with 2-3 flowers;
Fruits acorn pointed, conical ovoid, 1.5-3 cm long and 0.8-1.6 cm wide; wider near apex; enclosed for 1/4 of length by cyathiform cup; cup 1.4-2.5 cm wide, 0.8-1.2 cm high, with long, greyish tomentose scales, the upper ones spreading or reflexed; narrow basal scare; acorns germinate from the base; ripen first year;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark dark ash grey, furrowed; young twigs densely hairy, with grey to brown lenticels; bud with deciduous stipules;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy; all types of soils; slow growing;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : tome 1, p. 430, n° 106;
-- Sub-genus Cerris, Section Ilex;
-- Rare in cultivation; rare also in Cyprus, where it occurs only on Troodos Mount, near 800 m;
-- Resembles Q.ilex; sometimes confused with Q.coccifera;

Subspecies and
varieties
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