Quercus calophylla is a Mesoamerican species of oak tree. It is native to mountain forests of central and southern Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It has incorrectly been known as Quercus candicans.

Quercus calophylla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. calophylla
Binomial name
Quercus calophylla
Schltdl. & Cham.
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Quercus acuminata M.Martens & Galeotti
  • Quercus alamo Benth.
  • Quercus candicans f. alligata Trel.
  • Quercus candicans f. incurva Trel.
  • Quercus candicans f. michoacana Trel.
  • Quercus chimaltenangensis f. gemmata C.H.Mull.
  • Quercus flavida Liebm.
  • Quercus intermedia M.Martens & Galeotti, nom. illeg.
  • Quercus pagoda f. intermedia (M.Martens & Galeotti) Trel.
  • Quercus umbrosa Endl.

Common names include ahuahuaxtl, ahuamextli, encino blanco, encino cenizo, encino de agua, encino papatla, huilocualoni, popocamay, tzacui blanco, and tzaquioco.[1]

Description

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It is a deciduous tree growing 8 to 25 m (26 to 82 ft) tall[3] with a trunk as much as 100 centimetres (39 inches) in diameter. The leaves are stiff and leathery, rigid, up to 23.5 cm (9+14 in) long, egg-shaped with numerous pointed teeth along the edges.[4]

Taxonomy

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In 2018, it was found that the type specimen of Quercus candicans was actually a misidentified Roldana, a plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). The correct name of this species is Quercus calophylla.[5] Forms placed in Quercus candicans by Trelease do belong here.[2]

Habitat and range

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Quercus calophylla grows in wet montane forests, typically cloud forests but also humid oak forests and pine–oak forests, from 1,200 to 2,700 metres (3,900 to 8,900 feet). It prefers calcareous soils.[4][6][7][3]

Its range includes the Sierra Madre Occidental of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and Nayarit states, the Sierra Madre Oriental of San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz, The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Mexico City, and Mexico State, the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca of Oaxaca, the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero and Oaxaca, and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of Chiapas, Guatemala, and El Salvador.[1]

Conservation

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Quercus calophylla has been affected by habitat loss from extensive deforestation across most of its range. Its conservation status is Vulnerable. Strong regeneration has been observed at the edges of disturbed areas with intermediate shade.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mario González-Espinosa, Jorge A. Meave, Francisco G. Lorea-Hernández, Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez and Adrian C. Newton, eds (2011). The Red List of Mexican Cloud Forest Trees. Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, UK. 2011. ISBN 9781903703281
  2. ^ a b "Quercus calophylla Schltdl. & Cham." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  3. ^ a b [1] Oaks of the World, entry "Quercus candicans"
  4. ^ a b 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
  5. ^ Valencia-A., Susana; Coombes, Allen; Villaseñor, José Luis (2018). "Quercus candicans (Fagaceae) is not a Quercus but a Roldana (Asteraceae)". Phytotaxa. 333 (2): 251. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.333.2.9.
  6. ^ McVaugh, R. 1974. Flora Novo-Galiciana: Fagaceae. Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium 12(1,3): 1–93
  7. ^ Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1952. Fagaceae. In Flora of Guatemala - Part III. Fieldiana, Botany 24(3): 369–396
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