''Quercus durifolia'', commonly known as encino colorado, is a species of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

tree native to Mexico.

Description

''Quercus durifolia'' is a small evergreen tree that typically reaches in height, occasionally growing to 15 meters. Leaves are

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

or ovate, glossy and dark-green on the top and

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

on the underside. The bark is dark gray to black, smooth when young and becoming rough and fissured with age.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

, from northwestern Chihuahua to Aguascalientes and northern Jalisco, with a southeastern outlier in the mountains of Guanajuato. It is most common on the drier eastern slopes of the Sierra, where it is generally found in open pine–oak woodland with ''Pinus leiophylla'' var. ''chihuahuensis'' and ''

Pinus engelmannii ''Pinus engelmannii'', commonly known as the Apache pine, is a tree of Northern Mexico, in the Sierra Madre Occidental with its range extending a short distance into the United States in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. This pine ...

'', at the transition between lower-elevation oak and pine–oak woodlands and higher-elevation pine forests,Gonzalez-Elizondo, M. S.; Gonzalez-Elizondo, M.; Gonzalez, L. Ruacho; Enriquez, I. L. Lopez; Renteria, F. I . Retana; Flores, J. A. Tena. 2013. "Ecosystems and diversity of the Sierra Madre Occidental." In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. ''Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings.'' RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 204-211. from in elevation."Quercus durifolia". University of Arizona Campus Arboretum. Accessed 4 September 2021

/ref> It is generally found on gently sloping sites with deep soils, and can form pure stands on relatively flat sites with favorable soils. Other associated plants include ''

Quercus arizonica ''Quercus arizonica'', the Arizona white oak, is a North American tree species in the beech family. It is found in Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, and Durango. Description The Arizona white oak is on ...

Pinus cooperi ''Pinus cooperi'', sometimes called Cooper's pine or Cooper pine, is a medium-sized pine which is endemic to Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country i ...

Arbutus xalapensis ''Arbutus xalapensis'', commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States (western Texas and New Mexico), an ...

Fraxinus gooddingii ''Fraxinus gooddingii'', the Tiburón ash or Goodding's ash, is a tree native to Sonora and southern Arizona. It is reported from Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona, and from numerous locations in Sonora (including Isla Tiburón, Shark ...

'', and ''

Juniperus deppeana ''Juniperus deppeana'' (alligator juniper or checkerbark juniper) is a small to medium-sized tree reaching in height. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Description The tree reaches , rarely , in h ...

''.

Ecology

The

acorn woodpecker The acorn woodpecker (''Melanerpes formicivorus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker, long, with an average weight of . Taxonomy The acorn woodpecker was formally described in 1827 by the English naturalist William John Swainson under the binomi ...

(''Melanerpes formicivorus'') disperses its acorns in northwestern Mexico.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q15337320 Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Endemic oaks of Mexico duriflora