Holm Oak

Quercus ilex

A naturalised evergreen oak species found in Southern England. Its bark is very dark in colour, looking black from a distance. Leaves open as a bright shiny green but darken with age, looking very dull dark green before they drop. They are often narrow and have fine white hairs underneath. The leaves on sucker shoots are sometimes lobed. The male catkins are very long and yellow and appear prominant against the dark leaves. The acorns sit in a hairy cup and ripen between May and September.