''Quercus urbani'', also known as ''Quercus urbanii'', is a 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 ...

. It is native to western and central Mexico 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 ...

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated i ...

, and

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

Oaxaca ) , population_note = , population_rank = 10th , timezone1 = CST , utc_offset1 = −6 , timezone1_DST = CDT , utc_offset1_DST = −5 , postal_code_type = Postal ...

.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

Description

''Quercus urbani'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

tree up to tall with a trunk as much as in diameter. The leaves are thick and leathery, up to 30 cm long, broadly egg-shaped (almost round), with pointed teeth along the edges.Martínez Martínez, M. 1951. Los encinos de México y Centroamérica. Anales del instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional de México 22(2): 351–368

Range and habitat

''Quercus urbani'' has a disjunct distribution across several mountain ranges in Mexico, including the western slope of the southern

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 ...

, the south-central

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 ...

including the Sierra de Taxco, and 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 ...

. ''Quercus urbani'' found on reddish sterile igneous soil, between 1,800 and 2,200 meters elevation. It typically grows in monspecific stands, and sometimes with pines and other oaks. In pine forests it is often associated with ''

Pinus lumholtzii ''Pinus lumholtzii'', the Lumholtz's pine or pino triste ('sad pine' in Spanish), is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is endemic to northwestern Mexico. It is named after Norwegian explorer Carl Sofus Lumholtz. This pine occurs ...

''. ''Quercus urbani'' forms a lower woody stratum with young ''P. lumholtzii'' trees, ''

Quercus crassifolia ''Quercus crassifolia'' is a species of oak. It is widespread in Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua to Veracruz and Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y ...

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 ...

'', and ''

Nolina durangensis ''Nolina'' is a genus of tropical xerophytic flowering plants, with the principal distribution being in Mexico and extending into the southern United States. They are large, dioecious plants. Some botanists have included the genus '' Beau ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15340310 urbani Plants described in 1921 Endemic oaks of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur Flora of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt