Cork oak is native to north Africa and the western Mediterranean region where its thick bark is harvested to make cork products. It is evergreen, but quantities of dead leaves appear in the spring giving it a raggedy look for a short time before the leaves fall.

A larger specimen is growing close to this one in the property just adjacent to Bank of Marin on Sir Frances Drake Blvd. A row of them are in the median in front of  Marin Catholic High School.