Oaks of the World

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  Quercus frutex
Author

Trel. 1924 Mem. Natl. Acad. Sci. 20:82. pl. 120. 1924.

Diagnosis here

Synonyms
Local names
Range Mexico (Hidalgo, Mexico DF, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Tlaxcala and Veracruz); 2200-3000 m;
Growth habit 2 m tall, sometimes to 7 m; rhizomatous;
Leaves 1.5-5 cm x 0.8-2.5; subcoriaceous to thick; oblanceolate, elliptic-oblong or oval-lanceolate; apex acute to rounded, tip mucronate ; base rounded to subcordate, sometimes cuneate; margin slightly thick, revolute, entire, sometimes crenate or with 2-4 pairs of teeth; adaxially grey-green, pubescent with scattered stellate stipitate trichomes; abaxially pale green, tomentose with stellate stipitate trichomes with only 5-9 rays crispate and intertwined; epidermis slightly bullate, visible under the tomentum; 6-11 veins pairs impressed above; petiole less than 0.5 cm, tomentose then glabrescent;
Flowers April;
Fruits acorn more or less broadly ovoid, 0.9-1.4 cm long, ca 1 cm wide, 1-2 together, sessile or on a 0.3-1cm long peduncle; cup halfround 1-1.5 cm in diameter, with straight margin, appressed scales, enclosing about 1/3 to 1/2 of the acorn; maturing first year in August to September;

Bark, twigs and
buds

bark dull grey, in square plates; twig 1-2.2 mm in diam., densely tomentose with fasciculate stipitate trichomes, yellowish at first, becoming blackish; buds nearly globose, 0.5-2 mm long with glabrescent, ciliate at margin, brown scales; stipules linear or filiform 4-6 mm long;
Hardiness zone, habitat hardy zone 7;
Miscellaneous -- Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Series Leucomexicanae, Group Microphyllae;
-- Though often considered as a synonym of Q. microphylla, Q. frutex is considered as a separate species by some Mexican Authors (S. Romero Rangel 2002, S. Valencia-A. 2004 and 2017, The Plant List 2013),

-- Can be confused with Q. microphylla which has subchartaceous leaves with a flat or slightly revolute margin, and fasciculate sessile trichomes abaxially.

Subspecies and
varieties
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