Quercus coccifera

Overview

Quercus coccifera is an evergreen oak, a relict species of Mediterranean origin. It is included in the Red Book of Bulgaria, in the category of rare species. It grows as a shrub or small tree with a height of 5-6 m. Its leaves are small, 1.5 to 4 cm long and up to 3 cm wide, leathery, dark green, prickly. Its acorns reach 2.5 cm in length and have a variable shape. In the 1970s, in the area of ​​the village of Kayaloba, shortly after the Jami Mahle (the neighborhood with the mosque), which is after the village itself, on the right side of the road to Zlatograd, three Quercus coccifera trees with a height of 3, 4 and 5 meters were found. As the only representatives in the region, in 1981. they have been declared a natural landmark. The terrain on which the Quercus coccifera grow is south-facing, sloping. The main rock is typical sandstone, the soil is shallow, cinnamon forest. The origin of the three Quercus coccifera trees is unclear. Below them, on an area of ​​about 50 decares, there are many old Quercus coccifera bushes, which together with the juniper ones form a completely finished juniper-Quercus coccifera community. Some of the Quercus coccifera shrubs reach 1.5 m in height, others are very low. It is possible that the three trees were pruned shrubs, which later developed as trees. In the nearby pine forest, west of the mosque, along the gorge, there are several other Quercus coccifera trees and shrubs.
Note: The object is easily accessible.