Quercus engelmannii Greene

Northeast California, Santa Catalina Island; Mexico; to 1200 m; restricted area;

reaches 15 m high, with trunk to 70 cm in diameter; branches low on the trunk; crown open, spreading;

2.5-7 x 1.2-2.5 cm; evergreen or nearly so (leaves may fall during drought summers); oblong or elliptic; thick, leathery; apex rounded; base variable; margin entire or minutely dentate near apex; blue green, glabrous, smooth, not rough above; yellow green beneath with stellate trichomes with long rays, persisting at least on the base of midrib; 7-8 vein pairs, inconspicuous; petiole 3-7 mm;

male flowers in April-May on 3-4 cm catkins;

acorn 1.5-2.5 cm long, pale grey, elliptic, subsessile, striate near apex; single or paired, on a very short rachis; cup enclosing 1/3 to 1/2 of nut, strongly warty near the base; maturing in 1 year;

almost hardy (zone 8 but withstands -14°C); all types of dry and hot soils, but thrives better in moist ones;

– Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Series Leucomexicanae, Group Glaucoideae; – A. Camus : n° 181 ; – Threatened (IUCN Red List Category : EN). – Closely related to Q.oblongifolia Torr., and maybe conspecific, with cup scales deeper, larger and more warty; – George Engelmann (1809-1884) was botanist at Saint-Louis, of German origin; – Hybridizes with Q.dumosa and Q.lobata. – OOTW reports hybrid: Q. × grandidentata (Q. durata var. gabrielensis × Q. engelmannii) [syn. Q. × ewanii]