Quercus ilex ballota
| Quercus ilex | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 82' |
| Width: | 66' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Quercus ilex ballota (common name: holm oak)
Propagation: Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[1]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.
Cultivation: Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[1]. Thrives on shallow chalky soils[2]. Succeeds in all soils except those that are cold and poorly drained[3]. Grows well in sandy soils[2]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[4]. Very resistant to maritime exposure[1][5][6].
A very ornamental[7] though quite slow-growing tree[6].
Transplants badly unless moved regularly and this should be done as growth commences in late May or in September[1].
This plant is treated as a distinct species, Q. rotundifolia. Lam. by some botanists[8].
Cultivated for its edible seed in Spain[1][9]. The tree grows well in Britain but is said to fruit poorly here[1], however a tree at Kew was bearing a very good crop at the end of the hot summer of 1989 and again in 1991[K]. The seed ripens in its first year[4].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[4].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[10][4].
Range: Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat: Arid places, maquis, woods and hills on limestone[11].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[7][12][13][9][4]. The seed of this variety is normally sweet. The seed is up to 3cm long[4], it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed from some trees contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[14].
Medicinal: Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[15].
Usage: A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[16].
Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[15].
Very tolerant of maritime exposure and of trimming, it can be grown as a shelterbelt tree or hedge in maritime areas[1][17][5][6].
Wood - strong, hard, durable. Used for furniture[13][18][11]. It makes a good charcoal[11] and a good fuel, burning well even if green[19].
The bark is a source of tannin[19].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: Q. ballota. Q. rotundifolia.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural Station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Shepherd, F. W.. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society, 1974.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.