Quercus ilex seeds grow into the holm oak or evergreen oak — the dominant and most characteristic tree of the Mediterranean macchia (maquis) and the great Spanish and Portuguese agrosilvopastoral landscape of the dehesa and montado, native to the temperate biome from south-central Europe south and east through the entire Mediterranean basin. This large, long-lived evergreen tree or shrub develops a dense, rounded crown of leathery, elliptic to ovate leaves — dark glossy green above, grey-tomentose below — and produces small, sweet acorns that are the traditional food of the Iberian black pig (cerdo ibérico), whose acorn-fed diet produces the legendary jamón ibérico. One of the most ecologically important trees of the entire Mediterranean zone. Family Fagaceae.Full sun; drought-tolerant; adaptable to a very wide range of soils including chalk, clay and rocky ones; resistant to salt wind and coastal conditions. Slow-growing but extremely long-lived. Dense, glossy dark green leathery leaves; year-round evergreen; rounded dome crown Sweet acorns — the traditional food of jamón ibérico pigs in Spain and Portugal S. Central Europe to Mediterranean — temperate biome; dominant tree of maquis and dehesa Drought-tolerant; salt-wind tolerant; adaptable to chalk, clay and rocky soils Slow-growing but very long-lived; ecologically vital Mediterranean species; Family Fagaceae Quercus ilex is the great Mediterranean evergreen oak — the holm oak's dense glossy crown, sweet acorns, extraordinary drought tolerance and ecological dominance across the Mediterranean world make it one of the most important and culturally significant trees in Europe and the Middle East. IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.
