Oaks of the World

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  Quercus gravesii
Author Sudw. 1927 Check List For. Trees U.S. ed. rev.: 86
Synonyms chesosensis (Sarg.) CH Muller 1937
coccinea var. microcarpa Torr. 1858
shumardii var. microcarpa (Torr.) Shinners 1956
stellipila (Sarg.) Parks ex Cory 1936
texana Sarg. not Buckley 1860
texana var. chesosensis Sarg. 1918
texana var. stellipila Sarg. 1918
Local names Graves oak; Chisos red oak;
Range West Texas, N.E. Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamulipas); 1200-2300 m; restricted area, but common in its range;
Growth habit reaches 15 m tall;
Leaves 10-18 x 5-9 cm; deciduous; thin, leathery; ovate, oblong, lanceolate or elliptical; base rounded or cuneate; apex acute aristate; margin not revolute, apically with 2-3 pairs of bristle-tipped lobes, with deep rounded sinuses, the terminal lobe elongated; hairless, lustrous light green adaxially; pale and reddish brown beneath, with axil tufts of fasciate hairs; red when unfolding and at fall; 4-6 pairs of secondary veins prominent both sides but slightly adaxialy; epidermis smooth ; petiole hairless or glabrescent, 1-3 cm long;
Flowers in spring; male inflorescences 6-7 cm long, sparcely hairy; female inflorescences to 1.5 cm long, bearing 1-3 flowers on pinkish brown, glabrescent stalks;
Fruits acorn 1.2-1.5 cm, ovoid to globose; pubescent; singly on a short peduncle 0.7-3 cm long; enclosed 1/3 to 1/4 by deep, halfround, hairy, 1.5 cm wide cup, with flat scales; maturing in 2 years in October-November;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark black, coarsely ridged, smooth on branches; twig slender (1.4-2.4 mm), grey green or reddish brown, glabrescent, with inconspicuous lenticels; terminal bud brown, ovoid, acute, hairless, 2 mm long, with ciliate scales; deciduous stipules, 5-10 mm long;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy (withstands -15°C); all types of soils, prefers wet ones;
Miscellaneous -- A. Camus : n° 429;
-- Sub-genus Quercus, section Lobatae, Series Coccineae;
-- Close to Q.shumardii and Q.buckleyi.
-- Different from Q. canbyi in having broad aristate teeth from the apex to the base, the terminal lobe elongate and having short aristate teeth or simple bristle tips.
-- Henry S. Graves (1871-1950) was at the head of US Forests Department.

Subspecies and
varieties
Hybrids with Q.hypoleucoides (= x Q. inconstans), and with Q.emoryi (= x Q. robusta which it is easily confused with);
Pictures