Quercus L.
Genus composed of about 600 species, mainly across the Northern Hemisphere but also with some species in South America and SE Asia. In North Africa there are 8 species, unevenly distributed almost throughout the entire Mediterranean area.
Camus, A.A. 1935-39. Les Chênes. Monographie du genre Quercus. 2 Vol. de texte et 2 Vol d’Atlas. París.
Dahmani, M. 1997. Le chêne vert en Algérie, syntaxonomie, phytoecologie et dynamique des peuplements. PhD Thesis. University of Science and Technology, Algiers, 383 p.
Galan de Mera et al., 2011, Quercus, in Blanca et al., Flora Vascular de Andalucía Oriental.
Le Floc´h, E., Boulos, L., Véla, E. & Ghrabi-Gammar, Z.; Daouod-Bouattour, A., Ben Saad-Liman, S., Martin, R.D., Muller, S., Reduron, J.P., & Tison, J.M. (col.) 2010.- Catalogue synonymique commenté de la Flore de Tunisie. République tunisienne; Ministère de l´Environnement et du Développement Durable, Banque Nationale de Gènes (Eds.). 504 p. Tunis, édition 2.
Schwarz, O. 1936-37. Monographie der Eichen Europas und des Mittelmeergebietes, in Repert. spec. nov. Regni veget., Sonderbehieft D: 1-400. Berlín.
Zine el Abidine A. & Fennane, M. 1995. Essai de taxonomie numérique sur le chêne zène (Quercus faginea Lam.) au Maroc. Lagascalia 18(1): 39-54.
Key to species
1 Trees and shrubs evergreen 2
1 Trees deciduous or marcescent 4
2 Adult leaves light green and glabrous on both sides, rarely somewhat hairy on the underside. Cupule with erect, stiff, prickly scales Quercus coccifera
2 Adult leaves dark green and glabrous on the upper side, densely tomentose and lighter (even whitish) on the underside. Cupule not prickly 3
3 Bark suberose on stem and branches. Cupule with long and free scales, at least on its upper half Quercus suber
3 Bark not suberose. Cupule with short and applied scales Quercus rotundifolia
4 Leaves oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, regularly dentate, that resemble those of Castanea sativa Quercus afares
4 Leaves oblong or oval, ± lobulate, rarely dentate 5
5 Leaves deeply lobulate, pinnatifid or pinnatipartite, deciduous Quercus pyrenaica
5 Leaves only with small lobes at the margin, marcescent 6
6 Leaves large (up to 20 × 11 cm), with dense indumentum when young whitish-yellowish on the underside, consisting of long stellate hairs that, when they detach, they entangle forming little balls Quercus canariensis
6 Leaves smaller (generally less than 10 × 5 cm), with whitish hairs very short and persistent on the underside. Sometimes glabrescent 7
7 Leaves smaller (generally less than 10 × 5 cm), with whitish hairs very short and persistent on the underside. Sometimes glabrescent Quercus faginea
7 Shrublet generally less than 1.5 m in height, with subsessile leaves (petiole 1-4 mm) Quercus lusitanica
Updated by: G. Benítez, J. Molero Mesa & J. Charco.