The beautiful Cork Oak (quercus suber) © Michelle Chaplow |
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Alcornocales Natural Park - Flora
The region is characterised by a great variety of endemic vegetation. By far the most common tree is the eponymous cork oak (quercus suber). Other native trees are holm oaks (quercus ilex), Portuguese oaks (quercus faginea) and wild olive trees (olea europaea), while on the poorer soils is Mediterranean scrubland, made up of Kermes oak (quercus coccifera), rock roses (cistus ladanifer, c.monospeliensis), tree heather (erica arborea), lentisc (pistacia lentiscus), dwarf fan palm (chamaerops humilis), broom (calitome villosa), bracken (pteridium aquilinum) and holly (ilex aquifolium).
Along the banks of the rivers like the Majaceite, Barbate, Hozgarganta and Guadarranque are a variety of ferns, holly trees, rhododendrons, alder buckthorn (rhamnus frangula), laurestinus (vibernum tinus) and white poplars (populus albar).