Quercus coccifera, the
kermes oak, is an
oak in the
Quercus section Cerris. It is native to the
Mediterranean region and Northern African
Maghreb, south to north from
Morocco to
France and west to east from
Portugal to
Turkey, crossing
Spain,
Italy,
Libya, Balkans, and
Greece, including
Crete. The Kermes Oak was historically important as the food plant of the
Kermes scale insect, from which a red
dye called
crimson was obtained. The etymology of the specific name 'coccifera' is related to the production of red cochineal (crimson) dye and derived from Latin
coccum which was from Greek κὀκκος, the kermes insect. The Latin
-fera means 'bearer'.