Large tree native to the Mediterranean, with an irregular crown and twisted small branches. The bark is furrowed and gray, and in trees 7-8 years old it becomes cork, which when removed reveals the reddish color of the trunk. The leaves are dark green on top, silvery underneath, hard, oval, with spiny edges. It fruits later with single acorns. It does not tolerate prolonged cold below -5°C, requires moist, acidic or subacid soils, not calcareous. Its resistance to pruning allows it to take on the most varied shapes.