Sandpaper Oak
Quercus pungens
Family: Fagaceae
OTHER NAMES
Spanish: encino chino
CHARACTERISTICS
Evergreen to semi-evergreen shrubs and trees (leaves turn yellow in some locations, especially on limestone stubstrates), reaching about 10’. Spring blooming, followed by acorns in the late summer to fall.
LANDSCAPE USE
Best as a screen, eventually becomes a small tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full sun in the upper elevations. In the lower elevations it can take full sun if reflected heat is avoided, but afternoon shade isn’t a bad idea
WATER moderate to low, when established
SOIL not picky, but well-drained, can tolerate limestone
HARDINESS hardy to about 5°F
BASIN mid zone
CONTAINER does ok well in containers but will not attain full size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
ECOLOGY
Flowers in spring with inconspicuous, wind-pollinated flowers. Acorns ripen in fall. Oaks are wildlife keystone species hosting a mind-boggling number of insects. This brings in a vast array of substrate-insectivorous birds (birds that spend their time on these trees eating the insects). The acorns are important food for many birds and mammals (and some species eaten by people). The trees also provide important habitat for many birds and mammals. Almost all the oaks host a multitude of moths and butterflies including the following species:
Mexican-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius moctezuma)
Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia)
Short-tailed Skipper (Zestusa dorus)
Arizona Dull Firetip (Apyrrothrix araxes ssp. arizonae)
Burgess’s Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo ssp. burgessi)
Clitus Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis ssp. clitus)
Meridian duskywing (Erynnis meridianus ssp. meridianus)
Scudder's Duskywing (Erynnis scudderi)
Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis)
Oaks also host a diversity of insects that cause growths called “galls”. Galls are protective nests for the larvae of various insects (mostly tiny stingless wasps) to develop protected from pests. The have a diversity of shapes from giant ball-like growths, to small growths, on leaves or young stems. These galls do not harm healthy trees. Emory oaks that grow in riparian zones and get really tall are a favorite nesting site for owls and other raptors.
Oaks attract numerous other insects which, in turn, attracts canopy-gleaning birds.
ETHNOBOTANY
With some leaching, the acorns are used as food.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Often found on limestone soils, often in chaparral, oak, and juniper communities from 3,500-5,500’ in the southern portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas, south into central Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the family Fagaceae, the beech family. There are 627 accepted species in the genus Quercus widely distributed in the northern hemisphere.
The genus "Quercus" is from Latin, meaning "oak" while pungens means spiny or sharp-pointed, referring to the foliage.
As the common name, sandpaper oak, denotes, this species has rough textured leaves. This foliage texture varies according to population and may be determined by soil composition. Photo by pseudomyrmex, iNaturalist
These plants are often shrubs, and when they become trees, they often have very irregular shapes. Photo by Alex Binck, iNaturalist
Ripe acorn of sandpaper oak. Photo by jrossmunro, iNaturalist
This species is usually bushy and often found on limestone. Photo by kylie_rezendes, iNaturalist
Plants flower in spring with tassel-like flowers. Photo by Frankie Coburn, SEINET