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Quercus ilex (Fagaceae)

This holm oak, about 300 years old, has a trunk circumference of 16.2 ft and soars to a height of 65.6 ft, featuring a large and beautiful crown.
This species is widespread throughout Sardinia, from the coast to the mountain areas, and grows in coppice woods or tall forests.

Holm oak wood has a high calorific value and produces excellent charcoal: for these reasons, it is easy to find remains of old charcoal pits inside the Sardinian holm oaks – they were used to transform wood into charcoal, between 1800 and 1900.

How to get there:

From Nuoro, follow the road that leads to Monte Ortobene: the large holm oak grows in Sedda Ortai.

Botanical Card

In Italy, this species is most widespread in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian regions, as well as on the major islands, while on the Adriatic side it is found quite sporadically.
There are two groups of relic trees belonging to warmer periods on the Euganean Hills and around the city of Ferrara.

The northernmost point of growth of the holm oak is in the Carnic Prealps, on vertical cliffs exposed to the south.

The holm oak is an evergreen plant with leathery leaves that form a dark green crown.

The species is xerotolerant, prefers protective shading in the juvenile phase and adapts well to different types of soils but avoids clayey-compact ones with any water stagnation.

The wood is hard and difficult to process and season as it tends to warp and split. It was once used to build tools or parts of farming wagons due to its extreme durability. It can be used as excellent fuel or very good coal.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)