Quercus ithaburensis

Quercus ithaburensis, “the king of the oaks,” is the classic Israeli tree. It is considered to be one of the oldest oaks in the world, and its status in the Quercus genus is very justified. It has all the qualities that guarantee robustness, strength and durability: it is deciduous and has a slow growth rate, which allows it to develop optimally and to live for years. The tree is solid – it has a broad, round canopy. Its fall display is short-lived. It starts rather late in winter, and its leaves return at the beginning of spring. In light of this, its resistance to cold is somewhat limited, and it is not recommended for the high mountain area. It is also not well-suited for the Jordan Valley and Aravah due to the saline soil in those areas. An adult specimen’s fall display is impressive thanks to the sculptural look of the thick branches and the trunk’s grooved bark.

While it is acclimatizing, a little auxiliary watering is desirable. In its adulthood, despite its good resistance to drought conditions, auxiliary watering in summer will contribute to accelerate its growth. Quercus ithaburensis’s fruits are large acorns. Some say it is less suitable as a street tree because of its acorns. On the other hand, this is a true that has ornamental value, is not juicy and therefore does not attract birds and is obviously less dirty than most fruits. A good example for proper use of Q. ithaburensis can be seen on the main boulevard of the Weizmann Institute, which is adorned with this impressive tree.

More in the same family: Quercus suber | Quercus ithaburensis | Quercus ilex |Quercus robur | Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ | Quercus calliprinos | Quercus virginiana | Hybrid Quercus suber x Q. ithaburensis ‘Goliath’ | Chestnut oak | Quercus libani | Quercus boissieri | Hybrid Quercus suber x Q. libani ‘Eliyahu’