The 'holm oak of Monte do Barbeiro' has won ‘tree of the year’ in Portugal
The 150 year-old tree goes forward as Portugal’s entry in the European Tree of the Year competition that will be held in February 2019.
The tree is located in Mértola, Alentejo, and received the most votes from the 29 entrants, mainly due to its grandeur and enormous spread, offering welcome shade in the summertime.
"Sitting under the canopy makes the searing heat of the Alentejo seem bearable and allows us to contemplate the vastness of the surrounding plain, breathing in the tranquility," reads the winning description.
The tree, of the species Quercus Rotundifolia Lam, is found primarily in Spain and Portugal, North Africa (mainly Morocco) and in the south of France.
The holm oak of Monte do Barbeiro'
The 2018 European competition was won by a cork oak planted in 1783 in Águas de Moura, Palmela.
‘The Whistler’ owes its name to the sound made by countless birds in its branches and was classified as a ‘Tree of Public Interest’ in 1988 and is registered in the Guinness Book of Records as, ‘the largest cork oak in the world.’
'The Whistler', Águas de Moura, Palmela.
Comments
The current champion is The Whistler, a cork oak and next year's potential European winner is an 'azinheira' which I am sure is a holm oak