''Quercus pinnativenulosa'' 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

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 ...

Description

''Quercus pinnativenulosa'' is a tree which grows from 10 to 15 meters tall, and occasionally to 20 meters. The species is part of the ''

Quercus laurina ''Quercus laurina'' is a species of oak. It is native primarily to Mexico (from Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region ...

'' group of oaks from Mexico and Central America, which share many similarities and are often confused with one another. They have lanceolate leaves, with a pointed and bristled apex. The upper and lower leaf surfaces are

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

, or retain only some clustered

trichome 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 p ...

s in the axils of the secondary veins.Valencia Avalos, Susana (2010). "Notes on the Genus ''Quercus'' in Mexico". ''International Oak Journal'' No. 21 Spring 2010

Range and habitat

''Quercus pinnativenulosa'' is endemic to Mexico. It inhabits the Sierra Madre Oriental and northern

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It is primarily in the state of Oaxaca, and extends north into the states of Puebla and Veracruz. Geography The mountain range begins at Pico de Orizaba, and extends in a southeas ...

, in the states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca. The species grows in pine–oak forest, oak forest, and cloud forest (montane mesophytic forest) from 800 to 1,600 meters elevation. It is frequently associated with ''

Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgum (''Liquidambar styraciflua''), also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus ''Liquidambar'' native to warm temper ...

Quercus affinis ''Quercus affinis'' is a species of oak native only to Mexico, mostly to the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests. Description Quercus affinis is a medium-sized evergreen tree which grows up to 16 or 20 meters tall. The leaves are dark green ...

, Quercus polymorpha,

Ostrya virginiana ''Ostrya virginiana'', the American hophornbeam, is a species of '' Ostrya'' native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas. Population ...

Cornus excelsa ''Cornus excelsa'' is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood genus (''Cornus''). It is native to mountain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Description ''Cornus excelsa'' is a tree which grows up to 12 meters tall, with a trunk ...

, Eugenia xalapensis'', and ''

Carpinus tropicalis ''Carpinus tropicalis'' is a species of tree native to central and southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Description ''Carpinus tropicalis'' is small to medium-sized tree which grows up to 30 meters tall, with a tr ...

''. Subpopulations tend to be small and scattered. Its area of occupancy (AOO) is unlikely to exceed 700 km². The species is threatened with

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

from frequent fires, livestock grazing, and logging.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15339585 Endemic oaks of Mexico Cloud forest flora of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental Flora of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pinnativenulosa Trees of Northeastern Mexico