Quercus pubescens

A common species of Paggaio, found at low and medium altitudes, in both shrub and tree form.

A deciduous tree up to 10 m tall, which in ancient times was called fig and today oak. In the area of northern Greece, it is better known by its Turkish name meşe. Its leaves vary greatly in shape. They are lobed (that is, they look like someone cut and removed parts of the leaf in an almost symmetrical way, like a feather), with more or less curled edges, with a dense fluff on their lower surface, but also on twigs and buds. The fruit (acorn) has the shape of an egg, placed in a cup with many fluffy, brownish-gray, small scales on the outside. It flowers in May, but the fruits ripen in September to October. It is a photophilous, moderately thermophilic species, resistant to dry, shallow and stony soils. It is found in pure clusters, but often also in mixture with other oak tree species or in shrublands with kermes oak and European hornbeam. Its wood is heavy, hard and does not rot easily. As in other species of oak, its wood has been used since antiquity, in construction, shipbuilding and furniture. In the area, it is primarily used as firewood. In the past, it was pruned in the fall and the branches were stored in piles, to feed farm animals, especially goats, in winter. Oaks are spread throughout Europe, creating extensive and important forests, both ecologically and economically. Their dominance is due to their great adaptability, but also to their ability to interbreed and create hybrids with great ease.

Due to its relatively wide distribution on Mount Paggaio, no particular threats and pressures were observed or reported, which could lead to a significant reduction in its population.

Least Concern.

Pubescent oak is assigned to the “LC-Least Concern” category by IUCN, which does not necessarily mean that the species is safe or should not be protected. It rather means that the species “is not in immediate danger of extinction if the current conditions are maintained”. Typical species of oak forests that constitute a habitat of European interest and are protected according to European Directive 92/43. The habitat is 91M0: “Pannonian-Balkan forests with Turkey oak and sessile oak”. Includes pure or mixed thermophilic deciduous oak forests of the species Q. frainetto, Q. cerris, Q. petraea and Q. pubescens. The habitat, due to the previous management, includes mainly coppiced young forests, while the mature high forests are rare.