''Quercus tarahumara'' (also called Tarahumara oak) is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the beech family. It grows in 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 ...

in the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango, and Sinaloa. Some of the populations lie within the territory occupied by the Tarahumara people, after whom the species is named. It is placed in ''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''.

Description

''Quercus tarahumara'' is a tree up to 10 meters (33 feet) tall. The leaves are rather large for the genus, up to 30 centimeters (1 ft) across, with the stiffness of cardboard, green on top but tan on the underside. It is sometimes called the "handbasin oak" because its size and shape suggest a bathroom sink.Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, Research and Conservation in Southern Sonora, Mexico, ''Quercus tarahumara'' (handbasin oak, güeja)
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Range and habitat

''Quercus tarahumara'' is found on the western slopes of the northern

in northwestern

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 ...

. Its range includes the Sierra of southeastern Sonora, southwestern Chihuahua, northeastern Sinaloa, and northwestern Durango states, along with several

sky island Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has s ...

ranges lying west of the main mass of the Sierra in Sonora and Chihuahua. ''Quercus tarahumara'' is found in forest and woodland between 1,020 and 2,200 meters elevation. It occurs on igneous and presumably acid substrate, on reddish or pale gray epithermically or hydrothermically altered substrate, and on benches of white ashy soil. It typically grows in 'islands' in oak forests and woodlands, in association with '' Q. albocincta, Q. arizonica, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. jonesii, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. mcvaughii, Q. oblongifolia, Q. toumeyi'', and '' Q. viminea''.

Conservation and threats

The population of ''Quercus tarahumara'' has been little studied. There is no evidence of population decline, and the species' conservation status is assessed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

. The oaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental are extensively logged for timber and pulp. There are populations of ''Quercus tarahumara'' in protected areas, including

Cascada de Basaseachi National Park Basaseachic Falls National Park is a national park located in the western side of the state of Chihuahua in the heart of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. The park is named after Basaseachic Falls (Cascada de Basaseachic) the second ...

Papigochic Flora and Fauna Protection Area Papigochic Flora and Fauna Protection Area is a protected area in Chihuahua state of Mexico. It covers an area of 2227.64 km2 in the eastern Sierra Madre Occidental. To the northwest it adjoins Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area. Flora an ...

, and

Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area is a protected area in the states of Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico. It lies in the Sierra Madre Occidental, and covers an area of 4369.86 km2. To the southeast it adjoins Papigochic Flor ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15351777 tarahumara Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Endemic oaks of Mexico Trees of Chihuahua (state) Trees of Sonora Trees of Durango Trees of Sinaloa Plants described in 1995