''Quercus uxoris'' is an uncommon 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 ...

. The tree is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. It has been found in the states of

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 ...

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in Municipalities of Guerrero, 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acap ...

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, and

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

in southern Mexico.McVaugh, R. 1974. Flora Novo-Galiciana: Fagaceae. Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium 12:90-91
in English, with line drawings on page 90García-Mendoza, A. J. & J. A. Meave. 2011. Diversidad Florística de Oaxaca: de Musgos a Angispermas 1–351. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria

Description

''Quercus uxoris'' is a large

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 often more than in diameter. The leaves can be as much as long, thick and leathery, broadly lance-shaped with numerous tapering teeth along the edges.

Range and habitat

''Quercus uxoris'' is native to the mountains of southern Mexico, mostly in 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 ...

, with small outlier populations in the Chiapas Highlands and

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 ...

of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico, and in the

Sierra de Taxco 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 in ...

and near

Valle de Bravo Valle de Bravo () is one of 125 municipalities in State of Mexico, Mexico. The largest town and municipal seat is the town of Valle de Bravo. It is located on the shore of Lake Avándaro, approximately 156 km (97 miles) southwest of Mexi ...

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 central Mexico. It is found in the states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Although it has a large range, its distribution is highly discontinuous. It grows mostly in humid

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

pockets from 1,800 to 2,100 meters elevation, and occasionally in humid locations, like ravines and stream valleys, in oak forest, pine–oak forest, mountain mesophyll forest, deciduous tropical forest, and tropical sub-deciduous forest habitats. It prefers deep soils rich in organic matter. Its populations are generally small, but it can be a dominant canopy tree under favorable conditions.

Conservation and threats

The species is subject to habitat loss from deforestation. Its native cloud forests and other humid forests are exploited for timber, and are cleared for conversion to livestock pasture and agriculture, including coffee. A population of the species in the montane mesophyll forest of Ojo de Agua del Cuervo, in

Talpa de Allende Talpa de Allende is a city and municipality in Jalisco, Mexico. Surrounded by pine-covered mountains, Talpa de Allende is a silver mining town founded by the Spanish in 1599. The name "Allende" is in honor of General Ignacio Allende. Talpa is the ...

municipality of Jalisco, is threatened by deforestation, illegal logging, and road-building which fragments habitat blocks.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5463345 uxoris Endemic oaks of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur Cloud forest flora of Mexico Trees of Colima Trees of Guerrero Trees of Jalisco Trees of Michoacán Trees of Oaxaca Plants described in 1972 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Flora of the Chiapas Highlands