Algerian oak, native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur naturally today in the Canary Islands, though it may have in the past. Quercus canariensis is a tree that is rare on the Iberian Peninsula and whose distribution in Portugal is restricted to the Serra de Monchique and its adjacent area. It is now critically endangered, with only an estimated 250 mature individuals concentrated in this area. One of the main dangers which may lead to its extinction are the regular forest fires which occur in this region. The foliage is marcescent and evergreen, as some of the leaves remain on the tree after withering until spring, while others remain green throughout the winter.

It requires damper and more fertile soil than most other native Oaks, so if you have a deep soil, or you garden in the bottom of a valley, you can easily create or improved a soil with compost or organic matter. Even after a few years, it can grow to a reasonable size (taller than you), so you can take satisfaction in that. Depending on the soil and available moisture, you can expect it to reach 5 metres or more in 10 years. By then it will be flowering and producing acorns and will go on doing so for future generations.

Many people seem reluctant to plant Oak trees because they say they will never live to see it as a mature tree. It's a strange thing to say because if you are over 40 you probably won't see any species of tree to maturity, and if you are under 40 you probably don't have the land or time to plant them anyway. In the modern environment, most trees we see around us are not "natural" and were nurtured by someone at some time in the recent and distant past, so plant a tree and nurture it.