HEIGHT up to 65 ft (20 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE W. Mediterranean, especially Portugal
Cork forests form an environmentally friendly ecosystem, rich in wildlife. These broadly spreading trees grow on hills in open woodland. The cork is harvested every 9–12 years. Bottle corks account for 15 percent of production by weight but 65 percent of value of a $3 billion industry. Stripping the bark, from which cork is produced, does not damage the living tissue of the plant, which grows a new outer layer within a few years. BARK Thick, furrowed, and corky, with prominent ridges. LEAF Alternate, ovate to oblong, toothed margins, covered with minute gray felt beneath. FLOWER Males: borne in slender catkins; females: inconspicuous, on short downy stalks, borne separately on the same plant. FRUIT Acorn, enclosed halfway in the cup, covered by elongated graybrown scales, matures in the first season.
