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The Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a medium sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

The leaves are 4-7 cm long, weakly lobed or coarsely toothed, dark green above, paler beneath, with the leaf margins often downcurved. The acorns are 2-3 cm long, in a deep cup fringed with elongated scales.

It forms a thick, rugged and corky bark. Over time this bark can develop considerable thickness, and this is harvested every 10-12 years as cork. The harvesting of cork does not harm the tree and a new layer of cork regrows making it a renewable resource. The tree is widely cultivated in Spain, Portugal, AlgeriaAlgeria is a country in northern Africa with a coast on the Mediterranean Sea along the north and bordered by Tunisia in the northeast, Libya in the east, Niger in the southeast, Mali and Mauritania in the southwest, and Morocco in the west (the Moroccan, MoroccoAl Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah In Detail( Full size) Official language Arabic Capital Rabat Largest City Casablanca King Mohammed VI Prime Minister Driss Jettou Area Total Ranked 56th 446,550 km² Population Total (2003) Density31,689,267 70/km² Ranked 36th In, FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer and TunisiaTunisia is a Muslim Arab country situated on the North African Mediterranean coast. It borders on Algeria to the west and Libya to the south and east. El-joumhouriyya et-Tounisiyya Official language Arabic Capital Tunis President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali P. Cork oak forests cover approximately 2.5 million hectares in those countries. Portugal accounts for 50% of the world cork harvest. Cork oaks cannot be legally be cut down in Portugal except for forest managementSkills Forestry is the art and science and practice of studying and managing forests and related natural resources. Much research and development has been invested in learning about managing forest ecosystems, improving varieties of trees, and in better m felling of old unproductive trees.

Cork oaks live about 150-250 years. Virgin cork (or "male" cork) is the first cork cut from generally 25 year-old trees. Another 10-12 years is required for the second harvest. A tree can be harvested a dozen times in its lifetime. Cork harvesting is done entirely without machinery.

The European cork industry produces 340,000 tonnes of cork a year with a value of €1.5 billion and employing 30,000 people. WineThis article is about the beverage. See WINE for an article about the software of the same name. Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made by fermentation of grapes. The word comes from Greek omicron;ινο&sigmaf through Latin vinum, (bot corks represent 15% of cork usage by weight but 66% of revenues.

Cork is sometimes planted as individual trees providing a minor income to their owners. The tree is also sometimes cultivated as an ornamental. HybridThis article is about a biological term. See hybrid (disambiguation) for other meanings. In biology, hybrid has two meanings. The first meaning is either the offspring of two different species, or of two different genera. The second meaning of "hybrid" iss with Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) are regular both in the wild in southwest Europe and in cultivation; the hybrid is known as Lucombe oak, Quercus x hispanica.

Some cork is also produced in eastern Asia from the related Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis).

Photo taken in botanic garden in Christchurch, New Zealand