Quercus durifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. durifolia
Binomial name
Quercus durifolia
Seemen ex Loes.

Quercus durifolia, commonly known as encino colorado, is a species of oak tree native to Mexico.

Description

Quercus durifolia is a small evergreen tree that typically reaches 6 to 9 metres (20 to 30 feet) in height, occasionally growing to 15 meters.[1] Leaves are lanceolate or ovate, glossy and dark-green on the top and tomentose on the underside. The bark is dark gray to black, smooth when young and becoming rough and fissured with age.[2]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the Sierra Madre Occidental, from northwestern Chihuahua to Aguascalientes and northern Jalisco, with a southeastern outlier in the mountains of Guanajuato.[1]

It is most common on the drier eastern slopes of the Sierra, where it is generally found in open pine–oak woodland with Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuensis and Pinus engelmannii, at the transition between lower-elevation oak and pine–oak woodlands and higher-elevation pine forests,[3] from 1,700 to 2,300 m (5,600 to 7,500 ft) in elevation.[2] It is generally found on gently sloping sites with deep soils, and can form pure stands on relatively flat sites with favorable soils. Other associated plants include Quercus arizonica, Pinus cooperi, Arbutus xalapensis, Fraxinus gooddingii, and Juniperus deppeana.[1]

Ecology

The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) disperses its acorns in northwestern Mexico.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jerome, D.; Wenzell, K.; Kenny, L. (2018). "Quercus durifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T78914554A131901720. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T78914554A131901720.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Quercus durifolia". University of Arizona Campus Arboretum. Accessed 4 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Gonzalez-Elizondo, M. S.; Gonzalez-Elizondo, M.; Gonzalez, L. Ruacho; Enriquez, I. L. Lopez; Renteria, F. I . Retana; Flores, J. A. Tena. 2013. "Ecosystems and diversity of the Sierra Madre Occidental." In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 204-211.
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