The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Engelmann oak, Engelmann's oak

desert scrub oak, Tucker oak, Tucker's oak

Habit Trees, subevergreen, to 10 m. Bark gray or whitish, closely furrowed. Shrubs, subevergreen or evergreen, 1-3(-5) m. Bark light gray or brown, scaly.
Twigs

light brown, 1-1.5 mm diam., densely or sparsely stellate-tomentose, soon glabrate.

yellowish or dingy gray, 1-1.5(-2) mm diam., densely tomentulose.

Buds

reddish brown, subspheric to broadly ovoid, 1-2 mm, glabrous or basal scales pubescent;

stipules persistent about terminal buds.

brown, ovoid or globose, 1.5-2(-3) mm, glabrous except for ciliate margins of scales;

proximal scales often yellowish puberulent.

Leaves

blade oblong to elliptic, occasionally lanceolate or ovate, (20-)30-60(-80) × (5-)10-20(-25) mm, base cuneate to cordate, margins entire, undulate, sometimes irregularly toothed, especially toward apex, secondary veins 7-8(-10) on each side, branched, apex acute or broadly rounded;

surfaces abaxially blue-green or pale green, densely and loosely glandular-tomentose, quickly glabrate or persistently floccose, especially about base of midrib, at maturity strongly glaucous, adaxially gray-green or pale green, bluish green or glaucous.

blade unicolored, elliptic or obovate, (10-)15-30(-40) × (8-)10-15(-20) mm, thick and leathery, often brittle, base truncate or rounded-attenuate, rarely subcordate, margins irregularly spinose-toothed, occasionally shallowly lobate, secondary veins (3-)4-7, often some veins branching near margin and passing into more than 1 tooth, apex acute or rounded;

surfaces abaxially waxy grayish, light green, or yellowish, sparse to moderately dense (8-)10-12-rayed, (loosely) appressed-stellate hairs, often 0.2-0.5 mm diam., and sparse to crowded, yellowish, glandular hairs, adaxially dull grayish, with stellate hairs, similar to abaxial surface.

Acorns

solitary or paired, subsessile or on peduncle to 5-6 mm;

cup cup-shaped or shallowly cup-shaped, 8-10 mm deep × 10-15 mm wide, enclosing 1/3 nut, scales 1.5-3 mm wide, strongly and regularly tuberculate near base of cup, gray-pubescent;

nut light brown, ovoid or oblong, 15-25 × 12-14 mm, glabrate or puberulent about apex.

solitary or paired, subsessile;

cup cup-shaped or obconic to hemispheric, 5-7 mm deep × 10-15 mm wide, thin, scales whitish or yellowish, moderately or scarcely tuberculate, puberulent;

nut fusiform, ovoid, or conic, 20-30 mm, apex acute.

Cotyledons

connate.

distinct.

2n

= 24.

Quercus engelmannii

Quercus john-tuckeri

Phenology Flowering in spring.
Habitat Oak woodlands, margins of chaparral, arroyos, slopes and bajadas Dry slopes, chaparral, pinyon and juniper woodlands, margins of oak woodlands and sagebrush
Elevation 50-1200 m (200-3900 ft) 900-2000 m (3000-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Quercus engelmannii is closely related to and possibly conspecific with Q. oblongifolia. The cups of Q. engelmannii are larger, deeper, and generally more tuberculate than those of Q. oblongifolia, and the scales are usually larger. Based on available samples, the nuts of Q. engelmannii are consistently larger than those of Q. oblongifolia, apparently with little, if any, overlap in diameter. Considerably more variation occurs within Q. engelmannii in leaf form, possibly reflecting introgression from other white oak species such as Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. dumosa, and Q. durata (see treatment).

On Catalina Island, Quercus engelmannii is known only from a small grove of trees. Putative hybrids between Q. engelmannii and Q. cornelius-mulleri are common in areas of contact between the two species in Riverside and San Diego counties in southern California. Such a population was the basis for Q. acutidens Torrey [Q. dumosa var. acutidens (Torrey) Wenzig]. Other names applied to those populations are Q. macdonaldii var. elegantula Greene and Q. dumosa var. elegantula (Greene) Jepson. Variable in leaf form and stature, those intermediates form extensive populations and are probably best disposed of under the name Q. ×acutidens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Dry slopes, chaparral, pinyon and juniper woodlands, margins of oak woodlands and sagebrush; 900-2000 m; Calif.

Endemic to California, Quercus john-tuckeri occurs from Los Angeles County northward in the interior Coast Ranges and Sierra Foothills to the northern edge of Sacramento Valley.

Quercus john-tuckeri bears some resemblance to both Q. turbinella and Q. berberidifolia. Quercus turbinella has pedunculate fruit and cordate leaf bases, however, and Q. berberidifolia has a glabrate adaxial leaf surface, substantially smaller stellate trichomes with fewer rays on the abaxial leaf surface, heavier tuberculate acorn cups, and blunt or rounded (instead of acute) acorns.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Quercus Fagaceae > Quercus > sect. Quercus
Sibling taxa
Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. geminata, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. john-tuckeri, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. pungens, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii
Q. acerifolia, Q. agrifolia, Q. ajoensis, Q. alba, Q. arizonica, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. berberidifolia, Q. bicolor, Q. boyntonii, Q. buckleyi, Q. carmenensis, Q. chapmanii, Q. chihuahuensis, Q. chrysolepis, Q. coccinea, Q. cornelius-mulleri, Q. depressipes, Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. durata, Q. ellipsoidalis, Q. emoryi, Q. engelmannii, Q. falcata, Q. fusiformis, Q. gambelii, Q. garryana, Q. geminata, Q. georgiana, Q. graciliformis, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. havardii, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. hinckleyi, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. ilicifolia, Q. imbricaria, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. intricata, Q. kelloggii, Q. laceyi, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lobata, Q. lyrata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. margarettae, Q. marilandica, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. mohriana, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oblongifolia, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pacifica, Q. pagoda, Q. palmeri, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. polymorpha, Q. prinoides, Q. pumila, Q. pungens, Q. robur, Q. robusta, Q. rubra, Q. rugosa, Q. sadleriana, Q. shumardii, Q. similis, Q. sinuata, Q. stellata, Q. tardifolia, Q. texana, Q. tomentella, Q. toumeyi, Q. turbinella, Q. vacciniifolia, Q. vaseyana, Q. velutina, Q. viminea, Q. virginiana, Q. wislizenii
Synonyms Q. turbinella subsp. californica
Name authority Greene: Ill. W. Amer. Oaks 1: 33, plate 17. (1889) Nixon & C. H. Muller: Novon 4: 391. (1994)
Web links