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''Quercus humboldtii'', commonly known as the Andean oak, Colombian oak or roble, is a species of
Muller, C. H. 1960. Flora of Panama, Part IV. Fascicle 2. Fagaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 47(2): 95–104
/ref> The tree grows in the Andean highlands where the mean annual temperature is 16−24 °C, and the mean annual rainfall . It can be found in moderately fertile and deep soils as well as in degraded soils, preferring shallow soils with a thick layer of humus. The acorns provide important food for wildlife; two parrots – the rusty-faced parrot and Fuertes's parrot – are endemic to the threatened montane ecosystems of the Colombian Andes and are particularly dependent on the Andean oak forests as a home.
''Quercus humboldtii'', commonly known as the Andean oak, Colombian oak or roble, 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 ...
found only in Colombia and Panamá
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. It is named for Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
.
Description
''Quercus humboldtii'' is anevergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
tree which grows to a height of and a diameter of , with buttresses of up to 1 m. Its bark is reddish gray or gray and fissured, breaking into squares and flaking. The leaves are simple, alternate and lanceolate, up to long, and clustered at the ends of the branches. The flowers are small, yellow, and unisexual, with a racemic inflorescence. Male flowers are numerous, with long-styled female flowers in a cupula. The fruit is a light brown, ovoid capsule, or acorn, with a leathery pericarp, in diameter and long, resting on a scaly cupule. Only one fruit per cupule is developed, and the inside of the acorn shell is woolly.
Distribution and habitat
It grows in the mountains with an altitudinal range from . It is found on all three ColombianAndean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
mountain ranges and some lowland inter-Andean regions./ref> The tree grows in the Andean highlands where the mean annual temperature is 16−24 °C, and the mean annual rainfall . It can be found in moderately fertile and deep soils as well as in degraded soils, preferring shallow soils with a thick layer of humus. The acorns provide important food for wildlife; two parrots – the rusty-faced parrot and Fuertes's parrot – are endemic to the threatened montane ecosystems of the Colombian Andes and are particularly dependent on the Andean oak forests as a home.
References
humboldtii Trees of Central America Trees of northern South America Flora of Colombia Flora of Panama Plants described in 1809 Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland Flora of the Andes Flora of the northwestern Andean montane forests {{Quercus-stub