Mexican Blue Oak Tree Information
Images of Mexican Blue Oak:
Mexican Blue Oak grows in the following 5 states and provinces:
Arizona, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, TexasInformation about Mexican Blue Oak:
The Quercus Oblongifolia is commonly known as the Blue Oak, Mexican Blue Oak as well as White Oak.
The currently accepted scientific name of Mexican blue oak is Quercus oblongifolia Torr. It is a member of the beech family (Fagaceae) . There are no recognized infrataxa.Mexican blue oak is found from the Santa Catalina Mountains of southeastern Arizona into the southwestern corner of New Mexico . It occurs infrequently in western Texas . Scattered populations are found from Coahuila westward to Baja California Sur, Mexico .Mexican blue oak is dominant in pure or mixed stands in lower elevation (less than 5,200 feet ), open, evergreen oak woodlands. In encinal communities Arizona white oak (Quercus arizonica) and Emory oak (Q. emoryi) are codominant with Mexican blue oak and replace it at higher elevations . The Mexican blue oak habitat series is transitional into semidesert grasslands. Juniper (Juniperus spp.) and pinyon (Pinus spp.) occur occasionally in communities where Mexican blue oak is dominant . Mexican blue oak is a climax understory species in the Chihuahua pine (Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuana) series . In the mesic canyons of the southern Trans-Pecos area of Texas, Mexican blue oak is a characteristic member of the gray oak (Quercus grisea) series . Mexican blue oak is listed as a dominant or indicator species in the following publications: (1) Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of Arizona south of the Mogollon Rim and southwestern New Mexico (2) Preliminary classification for the coniferous forest and woodland series of Arizona and New Mexico (3) Vegetation of the Santa Catalina Mountains: community types and dynamics (4) Riparian forest and scrubland community types of Arizona and New Mexico (5) Plant communites of Texas (Series level) . Species associated with Mexican blue oak that were not previously mentioned in the Distribution and Occurrence information are Arizona rosewood (Vauquelinia californica), shrubby buckwheat (Eriogonum wrightii), catclaw mimosa (Mimosa biuncifera), bullgrass (Muhlenbergia emersleyi), plains lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia), fendlerbush (Fendlera rupicola), and wolftail (Lycurus pheleoides) .Some of the information provided here is attributed to:Pavek, Diane S. 1993. Quercus oblongifolia. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). , available at the USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) website