''Quercus canbyi'' (Canby oak, Sierra oak),
synonyms including ''Quercus graciliformis'', is a North American 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.
Description
''Quercus canbyi'' is a
semi-evergreen
Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody spe ...
-
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, whic ...
tree, up to tall in cultivation. Although, it can reach up to in the wild in Mexico. It starts as a pyramidal form and then matures into an open irregular shape.
It can reach a spread of wide.
The dark, glossy green leaves are long and have serrated edges. The
petioles can have a reddish hue. It blooms in March and the
acorns are then seen in August.
It has been distinguished from ''Quercus graciliformis'' by its twig shape and by producing acorns biennially rather than annually; however ,
Plants of the World Online regards them as
synonymous.
[
]
Taxonomy
''Quercus canbyi'' was first described by William Trelease
William Trelease (February 22, 1857 – January 1, 1945) was an American botanist, entomologist, explorer, writer and educator. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Trel. when citing a botanical name.
Trelease was born in Mount ...
in 1924.[ It is placed in ''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''.
]
Distribution
The species has been found only in Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and in northeast 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 ...
.[
]
Conservation
''Quercus canbyi'' was assessed in 2016 for the IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
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 ...
".
Cultivation
''Quercus canbyi'' will tolerate most kinds of soils and is used in gardens to provide shade.[Howard Garrett ]
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q6323318, from2=Q3006265
canbyi
Flora of Texas
Trees of Northeastern Mexico
Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Oaks of Mexico
Plants described in 1924
Taxa named by William Trelease