Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. We aim to build up to a comprehensive archive of trees in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Each article will illustrate a tree growing in Belfast Botanic Gardens together with information from a range of sources. Where possible we will give the tree tag number - these are the little aluminium discs, usually fixed 2 to 3m high on the tree trunk Click here to view the tree archive

Jon Pilcher

This is one of the largest evergreen oaks in Belfast Botanic Gardens, with an attractive spreading shape. It is located close to the main path leading into the gardens from the Malone/Stranmillis gate. The "x hispanica" oaks are hybrids between the cork oak (Quercus suber) and the Turkey oak (Quercus cerris); they occur naturally in Spain where the distributions of the two parent species overlap. There are a number of x hispanica varieties in the horticultural trade including the Lucombe oak (Q. x hispanica 'Lucombeana' ). and this one. It is semi-evergreen, losing some of its leaves in winter. The leaves are a dark very glossy green and the small acorns rather like those of its Turkey oak parent.

Fulham oak in Belfast Botanic Gardens	Glossy, semi-evergreen, leaves of Fulham oak
Variable leaf shape of Fulham oak	Male flowers of Fulham oak
Acorn of Fulham oak	Bark of Fulham oak

Photos taken in 2011 in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Copyright Jon Pilcher