The cork oak forest needs siliceous soils of a sandy texture, and a mild, slightly damp climate. Under such conditions it totally or partially displaces the Holm oak; Holm oak may be found in stands of Cork Oak with a certain frequency, as well as Portuguese oaks ("Quercus faginea" subsp "broteroi"). The area occupied by oak forests corresponds above all to the southwest quadrant of the peninsula, but also to Catalonia, Menorca and even the non-coastal valleys of Galicia. They often alternate with the oaks, which occupy the drier slopes and with the "quejigares" of Algerian oak ("Quercus canariensis"), that occupy the ravines and cool, shady northward slopes.