Quercus ilex - Holm oak

Quercus ilex - Holm oak

Location: Kew Gardens, London. Quercus ilex is a European native oak and can be seen in the cold of Northern Europe and in the heat of the Mediterranean. It can grow to heights of 25 meters. These specimens have nothing growing underneath them, it's thick bushy characteristics enable it to defeat competition for sunlight.



A shot of the internal structure.

The bark is dark grey/brown and has fine cracks in it.

What distinguishes Quercus ilex amongst other oaks is its holly shaped leaves. (hence ilex)
They are long and narrow with short hairs underneath, unlike other oaks it has no lobes.

When mature the leaves turn shiny and waxy.

Cedrus libani - Cedar of Lebanon

Cedrus libani - Cedar of Lebanon

Location: Kew Gardens, London. C. libani is a statement of wealth, in 1638 the tree was introduced to Britain for its ornamental features, only the rich could afford it and the space for it to grow in.
The evergreen conifer can grow up to heights of 40m.

An easy way to distinguish it amongst other look a like cedars is buy it's fanning branches that appear in a horizontal fashion.

Long sinuous grey/brown ridged bark.

Male cones are round, greyish and up to 5 cm long, we know that this specimen is female because the cones are pinkish/brown when mature.

It's been quite dry for the past few days, we can tell this by observing how the ridges of the cones are slightly flared. Otherwise they would naturally close in wet conditions.

Needle like foliage is 3cm long and normally blue/green.