Flora-Fauna

Quercus petraea subsp. pinnatiloba (K.Koch) Menitsky

(Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 9: 112; 1972 – homotypic syn.: Quercus cedrorum Kotschy in Boiss., Fl. Orient. 4: 1036; 1879 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. LXIX nº 3; 1966)

• Life-form & habit: Deciduous tree up to 15–20 m tall, with a broad, rounded crown and thick, deeply fissured grey bark on mature individuals. Young twigs slender, initially tomentose, becoming glabrous with age.

• Leaves: Alternate, oblong to obovate, 5–12 × 2–5 cm, deeply pinnatifid with 5–8 pairs of lobes, sinuses reaching one-third to half of the blade width. Lobes triangular to lanceolate, acute, entire or slightly denticulate. Upper surface dark green, glabrous; lower surface pale green, with scattered stellate hairs along the veins. Petiole 5–10 mm long.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Monoecious. Male flowers in slender, pendulous catkins 3–6 cm long; female flowers solitary or in pairs, sessile or shortly pedunculate.

• Fruit: Acorns ovoid, 15–25 mm long, seated in a hemispheric cup covering one-third to half of the nut; cupule scales ovate, appressed, densely tomentose. Maturation annual, ripening in late summer to autumn.

• Phenology: Flowers in April–May; acorns mature from September to October.

• Habitat & elevation: Montane forests and rocky slopes, often associated with Cedrus libani, Quercus infectoria, and Juniperus excelsa; 1 200–2 000 m. Prefers calcareous soils on north-facing slopes and cool microclimates within the cedar belt.

• Lebanese distribution: Endemic to high montane zones of Mount Lebanon, especially within and around cedar forests of Bsharré, Hadeth el-Jebbé, Tannourine, and Barouk; frequently forming a secondary canopy under cedars.

• Native to: Lebanon, Syria, Transcaucasus, Türkiye.

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Quercus petraea subsp. pinnatiloba was long known as Quercus cedrorum Kotschy, described from the cedar forests of Mount Lebanon. Menitsky (1972) later reduced it to a subspecies of Q. petraea based on morphological affinity and acorn structure. It differs from Q. petraea subsp. petraea by its deeply pinnatilobed leaves, smaller acorns, and adaptation to montane Mediterranean habitats.
This taxon is restricted to the Levantine highlands, where it represents the dominant oak within cedar ecosystems, forming an important ecological companion to Cedrus libani. Its occurrence in Transcaucasus and southern Türkiye likely reflects disjunct relict populations of a once broader montane oak lineage.