Quercus microphylla Née

Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Aguascalientes, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Zacatecas) ; 2000-3000 m ;

small shrub 0.4-2 m tall, branched even at base of trunk;

1.8-5.5 x 0.7-1.8 cm; deciduous; subcoriaceous; elliptic-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate; apex attenuated, acute to slightly rounded, often mucronate; base rounded; margins flat to slightly revolute, entire or slightly toothed near apex (1-2 pairs of teeth); lustrous grey-green, rough above, with sessile, 6-15 rays fasciculate hairs and sparce simple not glandular trichomes; yellowish persistent tomentose beneath, woolly, with trichomes like those of the adaxial side, and also with simple glandular uniseriate golden trichomes; 8-10 veins pairs impressed above, prominent beneath; epidermis bullate and papillose, whitish; petiole tomentose 2-6 mm;

pistillates flowers on a tomentose peduncle reaching 1cm long, 1mm thick;

acorn 1-1.5 cm; ovoid, mucronate, stalkless or on a peduncle to 1 cm long; singly or paired; enclosed 1/2 by scaly, half-round cup; cup with straight rim, thin pubescent scales (except their glabrous apex) ; rippening first year, from August to September;

– A. Camus : n° 242; – Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Subsection Leucomexicanae, Group Microphyllae; – Possible confusion with Q. striatula but this species has more coriaceous, 1-2.5 cm x 0.5-1.4 leaves, margins nearly flat, bulbous glandular trichomes abaxially, an acorn enclosed 1/3-1/4 in cup, and is not taller than 0.5m; – This taxon is a member of the Q. microphylla complex (Valencia 2020) composed of Q. cordifolia, Q. deliquescens, Q. frutex, Q. intricata, Q. microphylla, Q. mohriana, Q. repanda and Q. striatula .