''Quercus tarahumara'' (also called Tarahumara oak) is a species of tree in the

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

family. It grows in 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 C ...

in the Mexican States of Chihuahua,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, and

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

. Some of the populations lie within the territory occupied by the Tarahumara people, after whom the species is named. It is placed in ''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''.

Description

''Quercus tarahumara'' is a tree up to 10 meters (33 feet) tall. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are rather large for the genus, up to 30 centimeters (1 ft) across, with the stiffness of cardboard, green on top but tan on the underside. It is sometimes called the "handbasin oak" because its size and shape suggest a bathroom sink.Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, Research and Conservation in Southern Sonora, Mexico, ''Quercus tarahumara'' (handbasin oak, güeja)
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Range and habitat

''Quercus tarahumara'' is found on the western slopes of the northern

in northwestern Mexico. Its range includes the Sierra of southeastern

, southwestern Chihuahua, northeastern

, and northwestern

states, along with several

sky island Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has s ...

ranges lying west of the main mass of the Sierra in Sonora and Chihuahua. ''Quercus tarahumara'' is found in forest and woodland between 1,020 and 2,200 meters elevation. It occurs on the igneous and presumably acid substrate, on reddish or pale gray epithermically or hydrothermically altered substrate, and benches of white ashy soil. It typically grows in 'islands' in oak forests and woodlands, in association with '' Q. albocincta, Q. arizonica, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. jonesii, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. mcvaughii, Q. oblongifolia, Q. toumeyi'', and '' Q. viminea''.

Conservation and threats

The population of ''Quercus tarahumara'' has been little studied. There is no evidence of population decline, and the species' conservation status is assessed as

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

. The oaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental are extensively logged for timber and pulp. There are populations of ''Quercus tarahumara'' in protected areas, including Cascada de Basaseachi National Park, Papigochic Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and

Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area is a protected area in the states of Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico. It lies in the Sierra Madre Occidental, and covers an area of 4369.86 km2. To the southeast it adjoins Papigochic Flo ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15351777 tarahumara Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Endemic oaks of Mexico Trees of Northern America Plants described in 1995