Quercus suber, grown as is name suggests for its bark, ued to make lots of things from wine corks to cricket balls.
"Doesn't grow in England, so I never saw it before coming here. Besides, when was the last time you heard about the Great British Wine Industry?"
—me
The cork oak is a distinctive (not to mention, beautiful) and resilient tree native to the western Mediterranean region, particularly thriving in Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Known for its thick, rugged bark, which regenerates after harvesting, the cork oak has been a crucial source of cork for centuries. This unique tree, which can live for over 200 years, plays a significant ecological role in its native habitat, supporting diverse wildlife and preventing soil erosion. The sustainable harvesting of cork, carried out every few yars, does not harm the tree, making it a symbol of renewable resources and environmental stewardship. The cork oak's remarkable properties and its importance in both ecological and economic contexts make it a fascinating subject of study and admiration. These days it can be found wherever wine is being made; the bark of the oak (as its name suggests) being used to make corks, and also cricket balls. Maybe they should be grown in England, after all…
The tree has naturally followed winemakers for quite a while. Nowadays I live in Northern California in a region which boasts a few wineries. We may not be Napa County, but there are a number of vineyards and wineries scattered about, not to mention that UCD boasts an oenology department and supports agricultural research, not to mention a fabulous arboretum containing some examples. All this is to say that Davis does have a number of fine specimens of this species, some of which seem to have been grown for their landscaping qualities rather than their economic value. In fact, outside of my regular café (Volt) there are two magnificent specimens providing shade through their huge leafy crowns. Both are old, and I mean, old. Certainly over a hundred years, with massive trunks that can only be encircled by three gibbon-armed humans (ask me how I know!) One bears a scar that is at least dozens of years old, caused no doubt by the inept or accidental removal of a lower limb and yet thrived. Did I mention that they are resilient? The species originates in the Mediterranean, hence they can cope wih the 100°F+ temperatures of a Sacramento Valley summer, no sweat.
The bark of the cork oak is, in addition to its economic value, a true thing of beauty. Being the curious manchild that I am, I have been know to sit and just gaze at the gnarly, deep-fissured bark, imagining faces, landscapes, figures and even anatomy in the randomness. On my wilder days they come to life at Entmoot, or shielding Merry and Pippin in the wildness of the forest, before booming opinions with Treebeard before doing battle with Saruman. My imagination does run away with me sometimes.
The trees do live a long time, but don't start to become productive until they are 25 years old. The bark regrows, to be harvested again on a cycle of about 10-25 years. It seems that the Portugese traditionally check the trees very nine years.
If you want to know what it looks like, a quick image search will satisfy, or for a brief period, see my homenode pic, which I am just about to change. (Or maybe not. I need to reduce the file size {WHY‽} and the GIMP is broken). Okay,homenode image updated after using the wonderful ImageMagick tools. Rant over, for now.
$ xclip -o | wc -w