Algerian oak
Quercus canariensis
Family · Fagaceae · Harmless
The oak that survives in humid pockets of the south, in the Serra de Monchique and around the Strait of Gibraltar, remnants of a forest that once covered far more. It has nothing to do with the Canaries, despite the scientific name.
Oak woods · Uplands
Also known asMirbeck's oak, Canary oak
How to tell it
A large, broad leaf with strongly marked veins and regular teeth, dark green and nearly hairless. Bigger and broader than any other Iberian oak's. A dense dark crown in shady valleys.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
Little use today, and it is better so. The Monchique and Algarve stands are among Portugal's most valuable forest patches, and they live surrounded by eucalyptus plantation.
The law says
A protected species with a very restricted distribution in Portugal. Do not cut or gather it.