The cork oak is native to the Mediterranean region, originating in north and western Africa and southwestern Europe, where it is found growing in forests and open woodlands (1, 2, 3). It is the National Tree of Portugal where half of the world's commercial cork is produced (1, 2). Other commercial plantations are found in European countries such as Spain as well as in some African countries (1, 2).  The specific epithet “suber”, is a Latin word, similar to the Greek word “syphar” which means "a piece of wrinkled skin" referring to the deeply fissured corky bark (2). The world's largest cork oak tree, known as Sobreiro, grows in Portugal and is believed to have been planted in 1783 (2). It is 16 m (53 feet) tall and 4 m (14 feet) in spread. Amazingly, when this tree was more than 200 years old, after having its cord harvested more than 20 time, was able to produce 2646 pounds of raw cork - enough to create stoppers for 100,000 wine bottles (2). The cork oak was introduced to the U. S. in the 1600s where it is now planted in locations with warm winters and drier climates from Maryland to California (3).

Natural History of the UA Campus Arboretum Specimens: 

Accession # :  1319 was designated a University Heritage Tree in 2003. At the time of its recognition, it was the largest of its species on campus. Planted some time prior to 1940 on the south side of the Engineering Building, it was the largest on campus, and quite possibly the largest in Tucson. One voucher specimen at the UA herbarium dates this tree on campus back to 1936. Steve Fazio, former Professor of Plant Sciences, remembers showing his young children the tree in the late 1940’s. Alumni who were on campus in the 1960s remember using it as part of a fraternity initiation ceremony. Today students of botany, landscape architecture, ecology, and other sciences learn about the centuries-old technique of sustainably harvesting cork by peeling off the bark.  It was also designated a Great Tree of Arizona in 2004.