Pyrenean oak
Quercus pyrenaica
Family · Fagaceae · Harmless
The oak of the inland sierras, the one that takes both cold and summer drought. In winter it is easy to spot from afar: it is the only one that turns brown and holds on to its dead leaves.
Uplands · Oak woods
Also known asPyrenean oak
How to tell it
A large leaf with deep narrow lobes, velvety on both sides: run your hand over it and you feel it. It keeps its dead leaves attached until the following spring.
What it is confused with
Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur
Touch the leaf: Pyrenean oak is velvety, pedunculate oak is smooth. And in winter, Pyrenean oak stands brown with its leaves still on.
Open sheet →What it is for
Firewood and charcoal in the inland sierras, and the dead leaves served as livestock bedding. It resprouts from the stump after fire, which makes it key to recovering burnt slopes.