Spanish colonists called the area "Encinal", meaning "forest of evergreen oak". They include the evergreen oak Quercus gilliana. "Quercus alnifolia" belongs to section "Cerris", as with much of the mediterranean evergreen oak species. The broadleaf trees show more variety and are often evergreen, e.g. evergreen oak. The island is predominantly salt marsh and salt banks, sand dunes and evergreen oak forests. This rare oak is generally regarded as the most cold hardy evergreen oak. It has several common names, including bamboo-leaf oak, Chinese evergreen oak, and Chinese ring-cupped oak. "Ilex" in Latin means the holm-oak or evergreen oak ("Quercus ilex"). "Quercus myrsinifolia" is an evergreen oak tree that grows up to tall. Quercus alnifolia, commonly known as the golden oak, is an evergreen oak species of Cyprus.