Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Poole
It's an evergreen oak - Quercus ilex aka Holme Oak.
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Quercus ilex has two kinds of leaves. On a mature tree the leaves aren't lobate at all, and and are quite small, leathery and hairy. On the younger trees which are bushy, the leaves are less leathery and hairy, much larger, and lobate. But the lobes are pointed - hence the name holly (ilex=holly) oak. It is quite confusing; for a while these were thought to be two separate species. I was examining some immature quercus ilex in Greece just a few weeks ago. My wife thought I was kidding her when I told her that is an oak.
But, in sum, it doesn't look like q. ilex leaves, in none of its various forms.