Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis, the Valonia oak,[2] is a subspecies of Quercus ithaburensis, a member of the beech family, Fagaceae.[1] It may also be treated as a separate species, Quercus macrolepis.[3]
| Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Growing at Tricase, Lecce | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | Q. i. subsp. macrolepis
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis (Kotschy) Hedge & Yalt.
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Taxonomy
editThe Valonia oak was first described as the species Quercus macrolepis by Carl Friedrich Kotschy in 1860. It was reduced to a subspecies of Quercus ithaburensis in 1981.[1] Within the oak genus, Q. ithaburensis is classified in the subgenus Cerris, section Cerris, which includes Quercus cerris, the Turkey oak, and related species. It is most closely related to Quercus brantii, Brant's oak.[3]
Distribution
editQuercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis is native from south-east Italy, through the Balkans (Albania, Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia) and Greece, including Crete and the East Aegean Islands), to the eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. It is absent from the Palestine region,[1] where only the subspecies ithaburensis occurs.[4]
Uses
editThe cups, known as valonia, are used for tanning and dyeing as are the unripe acorns called camata or camatina. The ripe acorns are eaten raw or boiled.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis (Kotschy) Hedge & Yalt." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ Society for Valonia Oak website Archived June 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Vallonea or Aegilops Oaks, a Short Review". International Oak Society. 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
- ^ "Quercus ithaburensis subsp. ithaburensis". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ Qercus aegilops on food.oregonstate.edu Archived July 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine