Oaks of the World

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  Quercus affinis
Author Scheidw. 1837 Hort.Belg. Tuinb., Int. Ed. 4: 321 1837.
Synonyms

commutata Liebm. 1854 Diagnosis here
affinis f. commutata (Liebm.) Trel. 1924
affinis f. subintegra (A. DC.)Trel. 1924
lancifolia Benth. 1840, nom. illeg,
non Liebm. nec Raf nec K.Koch
nitens Mart. & Gal. 1842
nitens var. subintegra A.DC 1864

Local names
Range NE, C, S and SE Mexico : Sierra Madre Oriental and East of the Volcanic Trans-Mexican Belt (Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Veracruz); 1200-2600 m;
Growth habit tree to 18 m high, often smaller, 7-12m;
Leaves 3.5-13 cm long, 1-3 cm wide; evergreen; coriaceous ; lanceolate to elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate; apex attenuate almost acuminate, bristle-tipped; base acute or cuneate, seldom rounded; margin not revolute, entire or with some (less than 4 pairs) short, bristle-tipped teeth on apical half; at first rusty-colored both sides; mature leaves adaxially dark green, shiny, glabrous or with some stellate trichomes near base; almost concolor beneath with some axil tufts; 5-9 vein pairs, flat above, slightly prominent beneath, conspicuous; epidermis smooth ; hairless petiole 0.5-1,6 cm long;
Flowers in February and March; male flowers on 3-6 cm long, pubescent catkins, with 4-5 stamens. Female inflorescences 2-8 mm long, bearing 1 or 2 flowers;
Fruits acorn 1-1.5 cm long; ovoid to subglobose; 1 to 3 together, almost sessil or on a very short, glabrous peduncle; cup halfround or bowl-shaped, not rolled inside at the margin, enclosing 1/2 or 1/3 of nut, with brown, triangular scales ciliate at margin; maturing in 2 years, from August to November;

Bark, twigs and
buds

young bark smooth, mature one dark grey, scaly; glabrous or glabrescent twig, 1,5-2.5 mm, becoming grey brown when mature, longitudinaly sulcate; unconspicuous pale lenticels; small ovoid or conical, brown buds, 2-4 mm long, with ciliate margin scales;

Hardiness zone, habitat hardiness zone 7-8;  rather fast-growing; prefers acidic soils;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : n° 229;
-- Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae; sub-section Erythromexicanae, Series Lanceolatae;
-- Very closely related to Q.laurina (which it may hybridize with); Q. laurina is different in having thicker twigs, globose to ovate buds, bigger leaves with abaxially prominent veins, and upper face different from lower one;
-- Resembles Q. eduardii but this taxon has fasciate, tangled trichomes on the whole lower side; resembles as well Q. galeanensis which is much more low a shrub and has oblong, elliptic to oblanceolate leaves.

Subspecies and
varieties
For Trelease = f. commutata (Liebm.) Trel. 1924 and f. subintegra (A.DC) Trel. 1924
Pictures

 

More pictures Here