Quercus look, the look oak or Mount Hermon oak, is a species of oak in subgenus Cerris, section Cerris,[3] native to the Levant[4] region of Western Asia, including northern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.[5] Of the local oak species, it prefers to grow at the highest altitudes, for instance at c. 1800 m on Mount Hermon.[6]
| Quercus look | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercus subg. Cerris |
| Section: | Quercus sect. Cerris |
| Species: | Q. look
|
| Binomial name | |
| Quercus look | |
Description edit
Quercus look is a small-medium deciduous oak, ranging in height from 10–15 m.[7] The leaves are long and shiny, with toothed edges. Leaf sizes range from 5–11 cm.[7] The acorns are large, with a tip that is slightly concave or flat.[7] The acorn's cup covers about two-thirds of the nut.[5]
Distribution and ecology edit
Quercus look is the southernmost representative of mountainous deciduous oaks in the Middle East, occurring in mountain ranges of the Levant, Mount Hermon in particular. It grows at altitudes between 1400 and 1900 m in mixed stands with fellow sect. Cerris species Tabor oak (Quercus ithaburensis) and Lebanon oak (Quercus libani) as well as the Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani), the Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria), the Balkan maple (Acer hyrcanum subsp. tauricolum), Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum subsp. microphyllum), styrax (Styrax officinalis), Syrian pear (Pyrus syriaca), azarole (Crataegus azarolus) and several Sorbus species.[5]
Taxonomy edit
The species was originally described by Theodor Kotschy in 1860, who gave it the botanical name look, based on the name the locals from Rashaya used for the tree. Thereafter, the tree was identified either as a hybrid between the co-occurring Quercus libani and Quercus ithaburensis or as a subspecies of the latter. It was not until 2017 that the tree was identified as distinct from either of these species, a status that was genetically confirmed in 2018.[8] This reassessment also revealed a close affinity between Quercus look and Quercus cerris, the Turkey oak.[8]
References edit
- ^ Stephan, J. (2018). "Quercus look". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T79156563A122961496. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T79156563A122961496.en. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ Eich. Eur. Orient.: 21 (1860)
- ^ Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Manos, Paul S.; Deng, Min & Hipp, Andrew L. (2017). "Appendix 2.1: An updated infrageneric classification of the oaks" (xls). figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5547622.v1. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ^ "Quercus look Kotschy". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Coombes, Allen; Cameron, Roderick. "Quercus look". Trees and Shrubs Online. International Dendrology Society. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ Stephan, Jean; Chayban, Lara; Vessella, Federico (2016). "Abiotic factors affecting the distribution of oaks in Lebanon". Turkish Journal of Botany. 40: 595–609. doi:10.3906/bot-1601-24.
- ^ a b c Fragman-Sapir, Ori (June 2019). "Species Spotlight: Quercus look Kotschy". International Oak Society. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ a b Simeone, Marco Cosimo; Cardoni, Simone; Piredda, Roberta; Imperatori, Francesca; Avishai, Michael; Grimm, Guido W.; Denk, Thomas (2018-10-17). "Comparative systematics and phylogeography of Quercus section Cerris in western Eurasia: inferences from plastid and nuclear DNA variation". PeerJ. 6: e5793. doi:10.7717/peerj.5793. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6195796. PMID 30356975.