Kermes Oak

Quercus coccifera · Fagaceae · all Quercus records · Wikipedia

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Kermes oak is not fire resistant; three sources treat it as highly flammable or unsuitable near structures.

INRA’s epiradiator tests rated it 4 on a scale from 0, slightly flammable, to 5, extremely flammable. The rating combines ignition frequency with average ignition delay. Kermes oak reached 4 during the July-to-September fire season, placing it in INRA’s avoid range. Its monthly ratings remained at 4 from November through April as well.

The Catalan garden guide also calls Quercus coccifera inadvisable. That judgment is broader than a laboratory ignition test: it combines fire research with fuel structure, maintenance, origin, invasiveness, and fire-service experience. Greece’s 2023 fire-protection regulation reaches the same practical conclusion from a regulatory perspective, naming the species among particularly flammable endemic trees and shrubs.

A separate calorimeter measurement found that dead leaves sampled in December released 4,600.86 kilocalories per kilogram. That figure describes the heat produced once the leaves burn, not how readily the shrub ignites, so it should not be treated as another rating. Still, the major judgments agree across laboratory, garden-planning, and regulatory approaches. Kermes oak, a shrub in the Fagaceae family, does not belong near structures or in fire-resistant landscaping.

Fire-resistant shrubs instead

Form: shrub
Region: France; Greece; Mediterranean France; Morocco; Spain; Turkey
Rated in: Catalonia, Spain; Global; Greece; Mediterranean France / Provence

On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Highly flammable — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions
Fire ecology context
Placement evidence: 2 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Catalonia, Spain; Global; Greece; Mediterranean France / Provence
Maintenance

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution
Native range
Introduced / established
USDA hardiness

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status
Seed-list status
Reported invasive here
Broader regional context
Federal context

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Guía de pirojardinería: not suitable inside the 25-metre maximum-risk zone [girona-2020-iuf-25m-suitability] (with its avoid rating)
Κανονισμός Πυροπροστασίας Ακινήτων εντός ή πλησίον δασικώ…: section 5.4.2, Table 2δi [greece-2023-particularly-flammable] (with its avoid rating)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Avoids (3)

Inflammabilités des espèces forestières méditerranéennes (Valette 1990) — INRA Station de Sylviculture méditerranéenne, Avignon (Revue Forestière Française XLII) · 1990 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: inra-tree

“INRA inflammability note 4 of 5 (July-September maximum)” · score 4 (inra-0-5)

Monthly inflammability notes May-April: 0, 1, 3, 4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (epiradiator tests, INRA Avignon).

Source wording: “hautement inflammable”
Guía de pirojardinería — guía práctica de jardinería adaptada a la prevención de incendios forestales — Diputació de Girona and Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya · 2020 Spanish edition · original source Primary evidence Expert-curated lineage: elvira-hernando-1989 + cooperem-tree

“DESACONSEJADA”

Quercus coccifera is rated “DESACONSEJADA” by the guide's qualitative IUF garden-suitability method. The method assumes species-specific care and integrates fire evidence with fuel structure, maintenance, origin, invasiveness, and expert fire-service experience.

Corroboration (1 rows from 1 source)

Κανονισμός Πυροπροστασίας Ακινήτων εντός ή πλησίον δασικών εκτάσεων — Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy · FEK B 3475/2023 · original source Corroboration Regulation

“ΙΔΙΑΙΤΕΡΑ ΕΥΦΛΕΚΤΑ ΕΝΔΗΜΙΚΑ ΦΥΤΑ — Quercus coccifera”

The regulation prints this taxon in its table of particularly flammable endemic trees and shrubs.

Listed without a rating (129)

Corroboration (129 rows from 1 source)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

129 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- Primary study Dimitrakopoulos2001: Dimitrakopoulos, A. P., & Panov, P. I. (2001). Pyric properties of some dominant Mediterranean vegetation species. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 10, 23-27.
  
  Shared row context: Combustibility measurement; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Dimitrakopoulos2001-1; sampling december.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4600.86”
    
    FLAMITS record 2966; plant part leaves.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4440.72”
    
    FLAMITS record 2976; plant part stems.
- Primary study Doat1981: Doat, J., Valette, J. C., Askri, D., Caumartin, L., Bettachini, M., & Moro, M. (1981). Le pouvoir calorifique supérieur d'espèces forestières méditerranéennes. Annales des Sciences forestières, 38, 469-486.
  
  Shared row context: Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Doat1981-1; sampling ND.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4759”
    
    FLAMITS record 3124.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4761”
    
    FLAMITS record 3125.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4691”
    
    FLAMITS record 3126.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4685”
    
    FLAMITS record 3127.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4540”
    
    FLAMITS record 3128.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4575”
    
    FLAMITS record 3129.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4888”
    
    FLAMITS record 3130.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4854”
    
    FLAMITS record 3131.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4720”
    
    FLAMITS record 3132.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4728”
    
    FLAMITS record 3133.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4723”
    
    FLAMITS record 3134.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4721”
    
    FLAMITS record 3135.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4753”
    
    FLAMITS record 3136.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4751”
    
    FLAMITS record 3137.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 5020”
    
    FLAMITS record 3138.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4970”
    
    FLAMITS record 3139.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4785”
    
    FLAMITS record 3140.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4826”
    
    FLAMITS record 3141.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4866”
    
    FLAMITS record 3142.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4847”
    
    FLAMITS record 3143.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4863”
    
    FLAMITS record 3144.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4871”
    
    FLAMITS record 3145.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4719”
    
    FLAMITS record 3146.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4706”
    
    FLAMITS record 3147.
- Primary study Essaghi2017: Essaghi, S., Hachmi, M. H., Yessef, M., Dehhaoui, M., & El Amarty, F. (2017). Assessment of Flammability of Moroccan Forest Fuels: New Approach to Estimate the Flammability Index. Forests, 8, 443.
  
  Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part twigs; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Essaghi2017-5; sampling january.
  - “flammability value: 8.55”
    
    FLAMITS record 3314.
  - “flammability value: 15.08”
    
    FLAMITS record 3327.
- Primary study Liodakis2005: Liodakis, S., Vorisis, D., & Agiovlasitis, I. (2005). A method for measuring the relative particle fire hazard properties of forest species. Thermochimica Acta, 437, 150-157.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; site Liodakis2005-1; sampling ND.
  - “maximum sample temperature (°C): 464”
    
    FLAMITS record 6683; Combustibility measurement; device muffle furnace.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device muffle furnace.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 235”
      
      FLAMITS record 6689.
    - “time to flaming (s): 25776”
      
      FLAMITS record 6701.
  - “burning duration (s): 2586”
    
    FLAMITS record 6695; Sustainability measurement; device muffle furnace.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4793.97”
    
    FLAMITS record 6707; Combustibility measurement; device calorimeter.
- Primary study Liodakis2006b: Liodakis, S., & Kakardakis, T. (2006b). Measuring the Particle Flammability of Forest Species from Wildland/Urban Inter-face (WUI) near Athens by Thermal Analysis. First International Symposium on Environment Identities and Mediterranean Area. Corte-Ajaccio, France
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; site Liodakis2006b-1; sampling ND.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 5514”
    
    FLAMITS record 6742; Combustibility measurement; device calorimeter.
  - “time to flaming (s): 1596”
    
    FLAMITS record 6748; Ignitability measurement; device thermal analyzer.
  - “maximum sample temperature (°C): 301.7”
    
    FLAMITS record 6755; Combustibility measurement; device thermal analyzer.
  - “burning duration (s): 348”
    
    FLAMITS record 6762; Sustainability measurement; device thermal analyzer.
- Primary study Liodakis2011: Liodakis, S., Agiovlasitis, I.P., Kakardakis, T., Tzamtzis, N., Vorisis, D., & Lois, E. (2011). Determining hazard risk indices for Mediterranean forest species based on particle flammability properties. Fire Safety Journal, 46, 116-124.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; site Liodakis2011-1.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.
    - “time to flaming (s): 10.27”
      
      FLAMITS record 6885.
    - “time to flaming (s): 5.87”
      
      FLAMITS record 6922.
    - “time to flaming (s): 4.96”
      
      FLAMITS record 6958.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.
    - “flame intensity (kW/m): 188.02”
      
      FLAMITS record 6892.
    - “flame height (cm): 3.89”
      
      FLAMITS record 6916.
    - “flame height (cm): 5.81”
      
      FLAMITS record 6940.
    - “flame intensity (kW/m): 251”
      
      FLAMITS record 6946.
    - “flame height (cm): 8”
      
      FLAMITS record 6976.
    - “flame intensity (kW/m): 292.2”
      
      FLAMITS record 6982.
  - Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.
    - “flaming duration (s): 289.04”
      
      FLAMITS record 6898.
    - “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.06”
      
      FLAMITS record 6910.
    - “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.07”
      
      FLAMITS record 6928.
    - “flaming duration (s): 162.2”
      
      FLAMITS record 6934.
    - “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.14”
      
      FLAMITS record 6964.
    - “flaming duration (s): 133.6”
      
      FLAMITS record 6970.
  - Shared measurement context: Consumability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 82.49”
      
      FLAMITS record 6904.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 80.2”
      
      FLAMITS record 6952.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 87.3”
      
      FLAMITS record 6988.
  - “flammability value: 2”
    
    FLAMITS record 6994; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling spring.
  - “flammability value: 5”
    
    FLAMITS record 7001; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling summer.
  - “flammability value: 3”
    
    FLAMITS record 7008; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling autumn.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling all seasons.
    - “flammability value: 1”
      
      FLAMITS record 7015.
    - “flammability value: 3”
      
      FLAMITS record 7022.
    - “flammability value: 4”
      
      FLAMITS record 7029.
- Primary study Madrigal2009: Madrigal, J., Hernando, C., Guijarro, M., Diez, C., Marino, E., & De Castro, A. (2009). Evaluation of forest fuel flammability and combustion properties with an adapted mass loss calorimeter device. Journal of Fire Sciences, 27, 323-342.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Madrigal2009-1; sampling ND.
  - “time to flaming (s): 7.67”
    
    FLAMITS record 7271; Ignitability measurement.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2815.99”
      
      FLAMITS record 7275.
    - “maximum energy flux (kW/m²): 335.26”
      
      FLAMITS record 7279.
    - “total heat release (MJ/m²): 11.79”
      
      FLAMITS record 7283.
  - “burnt biomass (%): 99.6”
    
    FLAMITS record 7287; Consumability measurement.
- Primary study Madrigal2011a: Madrigal, J., Guijarro, M., Hernando, C., Díez, C., & Marino, E. (2011a). Effective Heat of Combustion for Flaming Combustion of Mediterranean Forest Fuels. Fire Technology, 47, 461-474.
  
  Shared row context: plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Madrigal2011a-1; sampling ND.
  - “flaming duration (s): 38”
    
    FLAMITS record 7331; Sustainability measurement.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.
    - “maximum energy flux (kW/m²): 353”
      
      FLAMITS record 7351.
    - “mass loss rate (g/s): 0.06”
      
      FLAMITS record 7391.
    - “total heat release (MJ/m²): 17.73”
      
      FLAMITS record 7411.
  - “time to flaming (s): 11”
    
    FLAMITS record 7371; Ignitability measurement.
- Primary study Martin1989: Martín, E., & Miguel, L. (1989). Inflamabilidad y energía de las especies de sotobosque
  
  Shared row context: plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device epiradiator; site Martin1989-1.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling may.
    - “time to flaming (s): 36”
      
      FLAMITS record 7761.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 60”
      
      FLAMITS record 8156.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling july.
    - “time to flaming (s): 60”
      
      FLAMITS record 7762.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 29”
      
      FLAMITS record 8157.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling august.
    - “time to flaming (s): 27”
      
      FLAMITS record 7763.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 96”
      
      FLAMITS record 8158.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling september.
    - “time to flaming (s): 23”
      
      FLAMITS record 7764.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 87”
      
      FLAMITS record 8159.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling october.
    - “time to flaming (s): 28”
      
      FLAMITS record 7765.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 100”
      
      FLAMITS record 8160.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling november.
    - “time to flaming (s): 24”
      
      FLAMITS record 7766.
    - “ignition frequency (%): 100”
      
      FLAMITS record 8161.
  - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4846”
    
    FLAMITS record 7912; Combustibility measurement; sampling ND.
  - “flammability value: 2”
    
    FLAMITS record 7961; Ignitability measurement; sampling ND.
- Primary study Michelaki2020: Michelaki, C., Fyllas, N. M., Galanidis, A., Aloupi, M., Evangelou, E., Arianoutsou, M., & Dimitrakopoulos, P. G. (2020). Adaptive flammability syndromes in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation, captured by alternative resource-use strategies. Science of The Total Environment, 718, 137437.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel dead; predrying no; device muffle furnace; site Michelaki2020-5; sampling spring.
  - “time to flaming (s): 946”
    
    FLAMITS record 9202; Ignitability measurement.
  - “burning duration (s): 406”
    
    FLAMITS record 9203; Sustainability measurement.
  - “mass loss rate (g/s): 0”
    
    FLAMITS record 9204; Combustibility measurement.
  - “estimated burnt biomass (%): 94.5”
    
    FLAMITS record 9205; Consumability measurement.
- Primary study Ntoufas2016: Ntoufas, I., Liodakis, S., & Tzamtzis, N. (2016). The effect of the extractable components of euro-mediterranean vegetation species to the combustion of their foliage. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 2850.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; site Ntoufas2016-1; sampling february.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement; device calorimeter.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4500”
      
      FLAMITS record 9758.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4850”
      
      FLAMITS record 9761.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device thermal analyzer.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 238”
      
      FLAMITS record 9764.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 216.65”
      
      FLAMITS record 9767.
  - Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement; device thermal analyzer.
    - “burning duration (s): 359.4”
      
      FLAMITS record 9770.
    - “burning duration (s): 475.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 9773.
- Primary study Saura2010: Saura-Mas, S., Paula, S., Pausas, J. G,. & Lloret, F. (2010). Fuel loading and flammability in the Mediterranean Basin woody species with different post-fire regenerative strategies. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 19, 783.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; sampling august.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; site Saura2010-1.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 579.1”
      
      FLAMITS record 12139.
    - “time to smoke (s): 77.5”
      
      FLAMITS record 12205.
    - “temperature at smoke (°C): 132.53”
      
      FLAMITS record 12242.
    - “time to smouldering (s): 239.2”
      
      FLAMITS record 12278.
    - “temperature at smouldering (°C): 380”
      
      FLAMITS record 12314.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; site Saura2010-2.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 571”
      
      FLAMITS record 12153.
    - “time to smoke (s): 99.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 12223.
    - “temperature at smoke (°C): 157.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 12260.
    - “time to smouldering (s): 308”
      
      FLAMITS record 12296.
    - “temperature at smouldering (°C): 441”
      
      FLAMITS record 12332.
  - “flaming duration (s): 370.4”
    
    FLAMITS record 12171; Sustainability measurement; site Saura2010-1.
  - “flaming duration (s): 447.4”
    
    FLAMITS record 12187; Sustainability measurement; site Saura2010-2.
- Primary study Valette1990: Valette, J.-C. (1990). Flammabilities of Mediterranean forest species. Effects on the combustibility of the forest communities inflammabilités des espèces forestières méditerranéennes. Conséquences sur la combustibilité des formations forestières. Revue forestière française, 42, 76-92.
  
  Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Valette1990-1; sampling june to september.
  - “flammability value: 3”
    
    FLAMITS record 13329.
  - “flammability value: 4”
    
    FLAMITS record 13330.
- Primary study Ormeno2020: Ormeño, E., Ruffault, J., Gutigny, C., Madrigal, J., Guijarro, M., Hernando, C., & Ballini, C. (2020). Increasing cuticular wax concentrations in a drier climate promote litter flammability. Forest Ecology and Management, 473, 118242.
  
  Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; site Ormeno2020-1; sampling february 2017.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device epiradiator.
    - “time to flaming (s): 4.02”
      
      FLAMITS record 16560.
    - “time to flaming (s): 3.44”
      
      FLAMITS record 16561.
  - Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement; device epiradiator.
    - “burning duration (s): 6.26”
      
      FLAMITS record 16562.
    - “burning duration (s): 6.77”
      
      FLAMITS record 16563.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement; device epiradiator.
    - “flame height (cm): 20.64”
      
      FLAMITS record 16564.
    - “flame height (cm): 21.22”
      
      FLAMITS record 16565.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement; device calorimeter.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4380.9751”
      
      FLAMITS record 16566.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4330.7839”
      
      FLAMITS record 16567.
- Primary study Guney2022: Güney, C. O., Sar?, A., Cekim, H. O., Küçüksille, E. U., ?entürk, Ö., Gülsoy, S., & Özkan, K. (2022). An advanced approach for leaf flammability index estimation. International journal of wildland fire, 31, 277-290.
  
  Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Guney2022-1; sampling may and september 2017.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.
    - “temperature at flaming (°C): 340”
      
      FLAMITS record 16645.
    - “time to flaming (s): 17.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 16646.
  - “flame height (cm): 56.8”
    
    FLAMITS record 16647; Combustibility measurement.
  - “burning duration (s): 10.7”
    
    FLAMITS record 16648; Sustainability measurement.
  - “burnt biomass (%): 5.7”
    
    FLAMITS record 16649; Consumability measurement.
- Primary study Mindykowski2011: Mindykowski, P., Fuentes, A., Consalvi, J. L., & Porterie, B. (2011). Piloted ignition of wildland fuels. Fire Safety Journal, 46, 3440.
  
  Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Mindykowski2011-1; sampling ND.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 599”
    
    FLAMITS record 17548.
  - “time to flaming (s): 168.83”
    
    FLAMITS record 17572.
  - “time to flaming (s): 119.42”
    
    FLAMITS record 17573.
  - “time to flaming (s): 72.58”
    
    FLAMITS record 17574.
  - “time to flaming (s): 42.18”
    
    FLAMITS record 17575.
  - “time to flaming (s): 31.1”
    
    FLAMITS record 17576.
  - “time to flaming (s): 22.62”
    
    FLAMITS record 17577.

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Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia ·

Quercus coccifera (Kermes oak). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/quercus-coccifera/. Last verified 2026-08-23.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Where its sources say to plant it

The evidence

Avoids (3)

Related plants

Fire-resistant shrubs instead