Portuguese Oak - Quercus faginea

The Portuguese Oak (Quercus faginea) is one of a handful of oak tree species that are native to the Iberian peninsula. It can often be found in close proximity to other Oak species such as the Holm Oak (Quercus ilex), the Cork Oak (Quercus suber), the Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica) or the English Oak (Quercus robur). The leaves of the Portuguese Oak are somewhat similar to those of the English Oak, measuring about 4 inches on length with dentate margins and a dark green color when mature. Their shape tends to be slightly spatulate and they have a pinnate venation.
The bark of this oak is quite a bit different from either the Cork or or the Holm oak which have very distinct barks. The image below gives a pretty good idea of what the bark looks like on a fairly young tree.
It is quite common to see "galls" on this species of oak tree (below). This is not a natural part of the tree but is the result of the tree´s defensive mechanism against foreign objects. In this case they are called "galls" because they are produced when the Gall wasp lays its eggs in the soft bark of a new branch inserting them into a small hole that it makes. The tree senses that a foreign object is present and activates it´s defense mechanism that creates a ball that is about an inch and a quarter in diameter with a hard exterior but a sponge like interior. The Gall wasp larvae grows inside the gall finding nourishment in the sponge/cork like interior until it is ready to bore its way out. This is why almost all galls have a small termite like hole in them.

I got a tip from Gus at http://git-forestry-blog.blogspot.com/ who tells me that the "wasp" responsible for this particular gall is the "Andricus quercustozae". I found the image of this wasp on a French website. It is a tiny little wasp about the size of a match head. Check this link for more images of these galls.

Edible Fig - Ficus Carica

The Edible Fig tree (Ficus Carica) is, as it´s name quite obviously suggests, the source of edible figs. This is not to say that it is the only member of the Ficus genus with edible fruit, there are several others. Rather it is the fruit of this tree that is widely commercialized as "figs" and used to make fig cookies, fig bread, fig liqueur, dried figs etc. There are several varieties of this tree widely cultivated in Southern Europe. One produces dark purple colored figs and the other green figs. Both of these taste pretty much the same in my opinion.

In the picture above you can appreciate how the figs grow on the branches at the base of new leaf stems. Not all of these reach maturity as some will get knocked off or be eaten birds or other hungry critters. When the figs are detached from the branch there is a white milky liquid that "bleeds" from the spot where the fruit was connected.

Unlike most "figs" (members of the ficus genus) the Ficus Carica is a deciduous tree (leaves turn color in autumn and fall off leaving the tree bare all winter). The images above and below show the typical leaf shape in summer and in fall. These are fairly large leaves that measure 8-10 inches (24cm) across. The leaf presents rather pronounced lobes with a palmate venation (3-5 main veins).
The image below is of a typical fig tree in the courtyard of an Andalusian "finca" located not far from the city of Antequera. This tree can be climbed to harvest the fruit but with great care as the branches break easily producing damage to the tree and possible harm to the person who could fall while reaching for the ripe fruit.

The picture below is of the biggest Ficus Carica that I have seen yet. It is located on the outskirts of the town of Yunquera in Southern Spain in an area that has multiple fresh water springs. My own estimates are that this tree is about 4-5 feet in diameter at the base, about 60-70 feet tall and probably 400-500 years old.

African Tulip Tree - Spathodea campanulata

The African Tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) is a large evergreen tree native to central Africa. It is also known by the names Fountain Tree and Flame of the Forest. It is one of a handful of trees that are referred to as "flame" trees.

This tree species is widely planted (where the climate permits) as an ornamental tree for ornate bell shaped flowers that are a combination of red, orange and yellow. Seeing as most of the flowers were pretty high up in the tree I tried to get as good a picture as possible of one that I found laying on the ground.

This particular tree is the only one that I have seen of this species and is located in a park in central Malaga that the locals refer to as the "paseo del parque". While this park is not known as a botanical garden it has just as many species and very good specimens of a great variety of plants, palms and trees.
The African Tulip tree is the only species in its genus and is a distant relative of some other well known ornamental trees such as the Jacarandas and the Catalpas (in the Bignoniaceae family).

This tree is known to have become invasive in some areas such as Maui.

Pomegranate - Punica granatum L.

The Pomegranate tree (Punica granatum L) is a fruit tree native to the near East (from Iran to North India). It is a small tree that often grows more like a large bush than a tree. It is valued not only as a fruit tree but also for its beautiful flowers that can range in color from red to white or a blend of the two.

The fruit of the Pomegranate is round and about the size of a softball. It is green and red when mature and if left on the tree too long it will split open (if you look closely at the last image above you will see that it is split open along one side).

Beneath about a 1/4 inch this outer husk the Pomegranate is filled with seeds (about a hundred) that are all encased in a pinkish colored, semi translucent material. These seeds are edible and for those who don´t mind ingesting the sesame seed size seeds in the middle they can b eaten right out of the fruit with a spoon or knocked loose and eaten. I prefer however to suck the outer pinkish "meat" off the seeds and then spit the seeds out. It is a bit more work but to each his own.

The Pomegranate is an ancient fruit that is mentioned in the Bible quite a few time.