Quercus ilex - Holm oak

Holm oak (Quercus ilex) is an evergreen Mediterranean oak valued for its acorns and dense, durable wood. The acorns are edible once the bitter tannins are leached out, and the roasted seed is used as a Coffee substitute. It reaches up to 25 m tall, exceptionally 30 m,¹ and over 8 m wide.²

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 7³
• Hardiness zone 8³
• Hardiness zone 9³
• Hardiness zone 10³

Outputs

• Human food
• Acorn³
• Fodder³
• Coffee substitute³

Type

• Quercus spp. - Oaks
• Tree
• Evergreen

Functions

• Windbreak³
• Wildlife habitat³
• Fuel³
• Charcoal³
• Fire resistance⁴

Dimension	At maturity
Height (m)	up to 25 (exceptionally 30)
Diameter (m)	over 8

Footnotes

1. Quercus ilex | EU Atlas of Forest Tree Species ↩

2. Quercus ilex | RHS Plant Finder ↩

3. Quercus ilex | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

4. Fire Retardant Flora, Glen Forrest Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, adapted from “Trees and Plants for Bush Fire Prone Areas,” Fire and Emergency Services Authority (Western Australia), 2002 ↩