| Kermes oak | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercussubg. Cerris |
| Section: | Quercussect. Ilex |
| Species: | Q. coccifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Quercus coccifera | |
 | |
| Distribution map | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
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Quercus coccifera, thekermes oak or commonly known asPalestine oak,[3] is anoak shrub or tree insectionIlex of the genus.[4] It has manysynonyms, includingQuercus calliprinos.[2] It is native to theMediterranean region and Northern AfricanMaghreb, south to north fromMorocco toFrance and west to east fromPortugal toCyprus andTurkey, crossingSpain,Italy,Libya, theBalkans, andGreece, includingCrete. The Kermes oak was historically important as the food plant ofKermes scale insects, from which a reddye calledcrimson was obtained.[5] The etymology of the specific namecoccifera is related to the production of red cochineal (crimson) dye and derived from Latincoccum which was from Greekκόκκος, the kermes insect. The Latin-fera means 'bearer'.[6]
Quercus coccifera is usually ashrub less than 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet) high, rarely a smalltree, reaching1–6 metres (3+1⁄2–19+1⁄2 ft) tall (with 10 m or 33 ft specimens recorded inKouf, Libya).[7]
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Quercus coccifera was first described byCarl Linnaeus in 1753.[2] It is called "chêne des garrigues" (garrigue oak) in French. The term "garrigue" comes from Catalan or Occitan "garric" (meaning "twisted") the name forQ. coccifera in those languages. The common Spanish name ofQ. coccifera ischaparro, which refers to its small size, a feature it shares with other oak species in similar habitats in other parts of the world, such as thechaparral communities from various parts of the Americas. The wordchaparro comes from theBasquetxapar meaning "little thicket".[8]Quercus coccifera is placed insectionIlex.[9]
As of February 2023[update],Plants of the World Online regards it as asynonym ofQuercus coccifera,[2] but this is widely disputed, with many authors, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, considering it distinct at least atsubspecies rank, if not as a species.[3]
It is included as an endangered species in the Red Book ofBulgaria.[10]
