Quercus Coccifera - Habitat

Habitat

It is associated with several asparagus species, Crataegus monogyna, Mediterranean dwarf palm, ephedra, myrtle, several species of Junipers (Juniperus, sabinas...), Pistacia terebinthus, mastic, wild Olea europea, sarsaparilla, Rhamnus atlantica, Rhamnus lycioides, Rhamnus oleoides, Rhamnus catharticus etc. The communities receiving several characteristic names.

It is indifferent to chemistry of soils, living on calcareous, pebbly, stony and poor soils. A lover of warm weather, it starts to miss from the 1000 above sea level. It is capable of supporting the continental Mediterranean climate with extreme temperatures and low rainfall, replacing to Quercus ilex (Holm oak) in drier areas where it excels in drought resistance. It also grows in sea cliffs and windy areas where other species of Quercus or Pinus cannot grow by the harshness of the weather.

Kermes oak species grows in dry, sunny slopes. Quercus coccifera supports either drought summers and semi-desert climate with rainfall between 400 and 600mm, with a maximum in the fall and spring. In its habitat summers are hot and winters are cold with the dry summer season with more than 35° C, occasionally reaching over 40° C. In winter the temperatures often drop below 0° C. It lives in areas with moisture produced by condensation fogs, many Ground frost on clear nights and sporadic snowfalls.

A very hardy species, it grows well in all types of soils as a shrub, supporting overgrazing. It blooms from March to May in weather still wet. It is easily propagated by seed (an acorn). The acorns waiting for wet weather to mature. It could be in late summer or already in the autumn later of summer drought (in October, November or December) of the following year. Acorns are very bitter, varying greatly in size and shape from one specimen to another and tasting bad. Acorns can germinate even before falling from the plant, but Quercus coccifera is also multiplied by root suckers and Layering.

Nowadays Kermes oak presence became scarce, due to in weter zones it is replaced by larger sized species such as Holm oak and besides the last centuries excessive cuts were suffered for its use to produce charcoal. There are reduced populations. Its presence is the only food and shelter for wildlife in some areas, such as the Ebro valley and other dry areas where chaparral replaces oaks due to low rainfall.

Its populations are typically in desert regions without any inhabited nucleus because crops are not economically profitable and the climate becomes progressively more continental and drier and therefore end in extreme temperatures accompanied by slow-growing dwarf juniper species. It is the last Quercus genus species to disappear by poor rainfall in its area. They are very important ecologically because it is the only habitat in these areas providing protection and food (they have edible acorns, although with a very bitter taste) for nesting birds, foxes, rabbits, rodents and wild boars. It forming thickets, and impenetrable thorny dense forests with copies of five meters high. It is sometimes accompanied by other plant species of the same size and climber plants such as asparagus or zarzaparrila.