Holm Oak

Quercus ilex ballota

Basic Information

Family: Fagaceae

Genus: quercus

Plant ID (slug): quercus-ilex-ballota

Numeric ID: 21957

USDA Hardiness: 6-9

Ratings

Physical Characteristics

Quercus ilex ballota is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Distribution

Europe - Mediterranean.

Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy; Hedge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Oil Seed Edible Uses: Coffee Oil Seed - raw or cooked[1, 2, 46, 63, 200]. The seed of this variety is normally sweet. The seed is up to 3cm long[200], it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed from some trees contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].

Medicinal Uses

Astringent Dysentery Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[4].