''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 in height, occasionally growing to 15 meters. Leaves are

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

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.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

, from northwestern

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of a ...

and northern

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...

, with a southeastern outlier in the mountains of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

. 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,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. from in elevation."Quercus durifolia". University of Arizona Campus Arboretum. Accessed 4 September 2021

/ref> 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 ''Fraxinus gooddingii'', the Tiburón ash or Goodding's ash, is a tree native to Sonora and southern Arizona. It is reported from Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona, and from numerous locations in Sonora (including Isla Tiburón, Shar ...

'', and ''

Juniperus deppeana ''Juniperus deppeana'' (alligator juniper or checkerbark juniper) is a small to medium-sized tree reaching in height. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Description The tree reaches , rarely , in he ...

''.

Ecology

The

acorn woodpecker The acorn woodpecker (''Melanerpes formicivorus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker, long, with an average weight of . Taxonomy The acorn woodpecker was formally described in 1827 by the English naturalist William John Swainson under the binomi ...

(''Melanerpes formicivorus'') disperses its acorns in northwestern Mexico.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q15337320 Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Endemic oaks of Mexico duriflora