Oaks of the World

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  Quercus faginea
Author Lam. 1783 Encycl. 1: 725
Synonyms

aegilopifolia Pers. 1807
australis Link 1826
cookii Loud. 1838
quexigo Cook ex Willk. & Lange 1862
lusitanica Webb. 1838 not Lam. nor Boiss.
lusitanica var. alpestris (Boiss.) Coutinho 1888
lusitanica subsp faginea (Lam.) A.DC 1864
lusitanica f. bullata Cout. 1888
lusitanica f. salicifolia Cout. 1888
faginea var. oscensis P.Monts 1988
faginea Sampaio 1785

Local names roure de fulla petita (Catalonia) ; quejigo ; roble carrasqueño ; portuguese oak;
Range Spain; Portugal; the Baleares; Algeria; Morocco; 800 to 1900 m;
Growth habit 10-15 m; sometimes a shrub; crown broad;
Leaves 4 x 1,5 cm; leathery; semi-evergreen; oval to oblong-elliptic; variable in shape; base cordate or rounded; apex obtuse; margin often wavy and revolute; 8-12 vein pairs, straight and parallel, ending in triangular, regular, acute, mucronate teeth; bright green above, with at first a short, stellate pubescence, becoming hairless; densely yellowish-grey tomentose beneath with small stellate hairs (120-150µ long rays); some intercalary veins ; petiole hairy 0,5-1,4 cm;
Flowers March-April; male catkins in clusters of 4-5; female catkins on short peduncle;
Fruits acorn cylindrical, 2.5 cm long, 1.3 cm wide, light yellow; singly or paires on a peduncle very short; enclosed 1/4 to 1/5 by cup; cup half-round, with oval or triangular, slightly lanceolate, convex, hairy scales; maturing in 1 year;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark thick, furrowed, scaly, grey or brown; twig grey or whitish, pubescent at first, becoming glabrous; bud ovoid tomentose;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy (zone 7); prefers moist, calcareous soils; often bears galls;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : n° 152;
-- Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Series Roburoid;

-- The specific name "lusitanica" must be avoided: it is too much ambiguous because applied to several species:
1/ Q. lusitanica Webb and auctores = Q.faginea Lam.
2/ Q. lusitanica Boiss. = Q. infectoria Oliv.
3/ Q. lusitanica Lam. = Q. fruticosa Brot.

-- The natural hybrids of Q. faginea are :
Q. x allorgeana, Q. x battandieri, Q. x coutinhoi, Q. x fagineomirbeckii, Q. x welwitschii, Q. x pacensis, Q. x salcedoi, Q. x senneniana, Q.x tingitana, Q. x villariana

Subspecies and
varieties

There are 2 sub-species:
1/ subsp faginea
the species described above, actually polymorphous.

2/ subsp. maroccana (Braun-Blanq. & Maire) F.M.Vázquez & A.Coombes 2016 Fol. Bot. Extremadurensis, 9: 27.
= lusitanica Lam. var. maroccana Braun-Blanq.& Maire 1924
= faginea var. maroccana (Braun-Blanq. & Maire) Camus 1935
= tlemcenensis f. maroccana (Braun-Blanq. & Maire) Villar 1938
= marianica C.Vicioso 1950 pro hyb.

This subspecies may also be considered as a hybrid between Q. canariensis and Q. tlemcenensis (= Q. x maroccana Villar 1943)

--- The taxon named Q. faginea subsp. alpestris (Boiss.) Maire 1960 is today described under the name x alpestris by F.M. Vàzquez & al. 2014: see this name.

-- The subspecies broteroi (Cout.) A. Camus 1936, which had been placed at a true species rank under the name Q. broteroi (Cout.) Rivas-Mart. & Saenz in 1991, is now renamed Q. tlemcenensis Trab. in Batt. & Trab. 1905 by F.M. Vázquez, Allen Coombes & al. 2018

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