Quercus coccifera

The kermes oak is in the turkey oak group (Cerris), in the beech or Fagaceae family, and is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to Cyprus and Turkey, crossing Spain, Italy, Libya, Balkans, and Greece, including Crete . It is usually a shrub less than 2 m tall, but can reach about 6 m in height.

• Leaves are evergreen, with spiny-serrated, leathery leaves 1.5–4 cm long and 1–3 cm broad.
• Fruit is an acorn 2–3 cm long and 1.5–2 cm diameter, enclosed 1/2 to 2/3 in a cup; cup is spiny, stiff, spreading or recurved scales; maturation takes 2 years.
• Bark is dull grey, often scaly on old trees; branchlet is at first yellowish brown, hairy, becoming grey brown; bud is ovoid, pointed, chestnut brown, 3 mm long.