''Quercus oleoides'', with Spanish common names encina or encino, is a Mesoamerican 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 ...

in the live oak group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Virentes''). It grows in dry forests and pastureland of eastern and southern Mexico and much of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, from

Guanacaste Province Guanacaste () is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Province to the southeast. I ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

north as far as the State of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

in northeastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. ''Quercus oleoides'' is a slow-growing tree, reaching in height. Its pale gray

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are

evergreen 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, which ...

, thick, hard, long, wide, oblong or elliptic. It flowers from December through May, with male

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...

s that are long, and female catkins that are long, containing one to six flowers, each about 7 mm long. Its wood is extremely heavy with intercrossed grains; the sapwood is white, and heartwood brown.Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - ''Quercus oleoides''
/ref>

References

External links

Arctos Collaborative Collection Management Solution, Taxonomy Details for ''Quercus oleoides'' var. ''sagraeana''

oleoides Trees of Central America Oaks of Mexico Plants described in 1830 Flora of the Central American pine–oak forests Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental Petén–Veracruz moist forests Veracruz moist forests {{Quercus-stub