Oaks of the World

De Luna-Bonilla, S. Valencia-A. & Coombes 2024 Phytotaxa 670 (4): 191–202 2024

Mexico, Michoacán, (area restricted to the Cuitzeo Basin in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt); 2100-2400 m;

shrubby, rhizomatous, 0.3-0.7 m tall;

3.5-6 x 1.4-2 cm, coriaceous; on average slightly obovate, or oblong, ovate-lanceolate, rarely ovate; 2.2-3 times longer than wide; apex acute, attenuated to rounded; base rounded to slightly subcordate; margin thickened, flat or slightly revolute, entire or with 1-2 short mucronate teeth (leaves on juvenile shoots may have up to 7 teeth on the whole margin); adaxially dull, glaucous, glabrous to glabrescent with scarce fasciculate trichomes near the base and on the midrib; abaxially whitish to greyish, tomentose to glabrescent with fasciculate shortly stipitate hairs, without amber trichomes; 6-12 pairs of secondary veins slightly impressed above; epidermis pale, papillose to somewhat bullate; petiole 2.3-3.4 mm long, yellowish at base, glabrescent;

acorn brownish, glabrous, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 15 -18 mm long, singly or paires on a more or les glabrous peduncle 0.7-2 cm long; cup halfround, with scales keeled at their base and white pubescent, enclosing 1/2 of the fruit; maturing first year;

twigs1.3-2.3 mm in diam., gray to pale-reddish, slightly furrowed, hairless to tomentose with sparse stipitate fasciculate trichomes; conspicuous lenticels; buds ovoid, 2,6-3 mm long, reddish-brown, with broadly ovate, fimbriate at margin scales; stipules linear 2.8-5.6 mm long, persistent, glabrescent;

-- Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus;
-- Morphologically similar to Q. frutex, Q. microphylla and Q. repanda; see HERE to compare;

More pictures HERE