Holly Oak (Quercus ilex)

Family: Fagaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (5/5)

Bloom Color: Brown. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Rounded.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds

Harvest Seasons: Fall, Late Summer, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet or bitter. — Seed - raw or cooked.; It can be sweet or bitter.; The seed is up to 3cm long, it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread.; The seed from some trees contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost.

Habitat & North American Range

Arid places, maquis, woods and hills on limestone. (Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)