''Quercus elliptica'' is a Mesoamerican species of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

tree. It is widespread across central and southern Mexico and Central America from

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and ...

and

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

south as far as

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...

.Romero Rangel, S., E. C. Rojas Zenteno & M. L. Aguilar Enríquez. 2002. El género ''Quercus'' (Fagaceae) en el estado de México. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89(4): 551–593
in Spanish, with line drawings of each species It is classified in ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''.

Description

''Quercus elliptica'' is a tree growing up to tall with a trunk as much as in diameter. The leaves are thick and leathery, up to long, elliptical with wavy edges but no teeth or lobes.Née, Luis 1801. Anales de Ciencias Naturales 3(9): 278
short

diagnosis Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...

in Latin, description in Spanish

Habitat and range

''Quercus elliptica'' is found in oak forests, cloud forests, and pine–fir (''Abies'') forests from 300 to 2400 meters elevation. It is mostly restricted to granite soils. ''Quercus elliptica'' is often dominant and common where it is found. ''Quercus elliptica'' ranges across central and southern Mexico. Its range extends from the central

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 ...

in the northwest through western

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

, including

Sierra de San Juan The Sierra de San Juan Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in Nayarit state of western Mexico. It was established in 2003, and has an area of 198.01 km2.UNEP-WCMC (2021). "Protected Area Profile for Sierra de San Juan from the World Databas ...

, and western

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 ...

, including the Sierra de Vallejo and

Sierra de Manantlán Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and " saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range ...

. It also ranges through the

Sierra Madre del Sur The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca. Geography The Sierra Madre del Sur joins with the Eje Volcánico Trans ...

and

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It is primarily in the state of Oaxaca, and extends north into the states of Puebla and Veracruz. Geography The mountain range begins at Pico de Orizaba, and extends in a southeas ...

of Guerrero and Oaxaca states. There are populations in the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

of Michoacán and Mexico states. In Chiapas it is found in the

Sierra Madre de Chiapas The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is a major mountain range in Central America. It crosses El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an alm ...

and Chiapas Highlands, including

Lagunas de Montebello National Park Lagunas de Montebello, or Montebello Lakes, ( es, Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello) is a national park in the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, comprising 59 multi-colored lakes in a pine forest and two Maya ruins. ...

. There are only two citations in Guatemala, in the

Sierra de las Minas Sierra (Spanish for " mountain range" and " saw", from Latin ''serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain rang ...

and in Camotán. It is also found in the

Maya Mountains The Maya Mountains are a mountain range located in Belize and eastern Guatemala, in Central America. Etymology The Maya Mountains were known as the ''Cockscomb'' or ''Coxcomb Mountains'' to Baymen and later Belizeans at least until the mid-2 ...

of Belize, and in the highlands of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Conservation

Because of its wide range and abundant populations it is rated

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

. Despite habitat loss in parts of its range its population is considered stable. ''

Phytophthora cinnamomi ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called " root rot", "dieback", or (in certain ''Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the w ...

'', the fungal parasite known as Sudden Oak Death, has been found in ''Quercus elliptica''.

References

External links

photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Honduras in 1938
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15338241 elliptica Oaks of Mexico Plants described in 1801 Flora of Central America Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur Flora of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Flora of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Sierra Madre de Chiapas Chiapas montane forests Central American pine–oak forests Flora of the Central American montane forests Cloud forest flora of Mexico