Quercus coccifera Seeds | (kermes Oak)

Spiny, glossy evergreen leaves and small acorns of kermes oak on a dry limestone bank — Kermes Oak (*Quercus coccifera*): Fagaceae, the Mediterranean basin.

LATIN NAME: Quercus coccifera

COMMON NAME: Kermes Oak

Plant Profile

Kermes oak is the scrub oak of the Mediterranean garrigue, a dense evergreen shrub of one to three metres whose leaves are small, glossy and armed with spines, so that it looks more like a holly than an oak. It spreads by underground stems and resprouts vigorously after fire, and it can form impenetrable thickets on thin limestone. The acorns are small and bitter, and the shrub’s historical importance lies elsewhere, in an insect that lives on its twigs. In spring the new growth is soft and red, and the spines on it are still weak, which is the only time the plant is pleasant to handle.

Science & Biotechnology

The kermes dye insect, Kermes vermilio, is a scale insect that feeds only on this oak, and the crimson pigment it yields, kermesic acid, was the principal red dye of European textiles before cochineal arrived from Mexico. The species is also a model for fire ecology in the Mediterranean, since it resprouts from a lignotuber within weeks of burning, and its leaf waxes have been studied as a defence against summer drought. It is a diploid and hybridises with other scrub oaks at the edges of its range. Its thickets are a nursery for wildlife, and the acorns are taken by jays, which plant them elsewhere.

Uses & Benefits

The dye is its historical use, and the word crimson itself comes from kermes. The acorns are edible after leaching but bitter, and the wood makes excellent charcoal. In the garden it is a tough, slow, spiny evergreen for a dry bank or a low hedge, tolerant of lime, drought, salt and hard pruning, and it is one of the best plants for a hot, thin site where nothing else will grow. It is also a good subject for a large pot or for bonsai, where its small leaves and tough wood make a convincing old tree in a shallow tray. Its dense root system also makes it useful for stabilising a crumbling terrace wall, where its spines deter anyone from climbing.

Growing from Seed

Sow acorns in autumn, two centimetres deep, and leave them outside; they need cold and they germinate early. The radicle goes down fast, so sow into a deep pot and do not disturb it. Grow the seedling in full sun and sharp drainage, in a gritty, lime-rich mix, and water sparingly after the first summer. It is slow above ground and fast below it, which is why it makes such a good bonsai subject. Trim in late spring, after the worst of the frost, and wear gloves, because the spines are real. It also tolerates salt, which is why it appears on sea cliffs above the spray zone.

Our Take

A holly-leaved scrub oak that made the colour crimson, and one of the toughest evergreens for dry, limy ground. Give it sun and stone and it will outlive the fence it grows against.

Tree Seeds