Toumey Oak
Quercus toumeyi
Family: Fagaceae
OTHER NAMES
Spanish: encino gallinero, encino finito, encino roble
CHARACTERISTICS
Evergreen to semi-evergreen (in cold spots) tree (or most often a shrub), to about 10’ though some specimens are much larger. Flowers in April-May, followed by acorns that are generally ripe late summer into fall.
LANDSCAPE USE
Small evergreen tree or screening shrub.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full sun in the upper elevations, and for the low desert afternoon shade in summer is recommended
WATER moderate to low
SOIL not picky, but well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to about 0°F
BASIN mid to high zone
CONTAINER does moderately well in containers but will not attain full size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
Photo of an exceptionally large Quercus toumeyi by Frankie Coburn, SEINET
Quercus toumeyi on iNaturalist
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
Acorns edible after much leaching.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found on rocky slopes in chaparral and oak forests from 4,000-6,500’ in the southern portion of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, south into northern 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 toumeyi is named for James W. Toumey (1865-1932) a botanist and professor at the University of Arizona.
Toumey oak is most often a large shrub. Photo by arborsam, iNaturalist
Foliage detail, photo by Curren Frasch, iNaturalist
Flowers usually occur in April or May, photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Acorns follow the flowers and ripen late summer into fall. Photo by Steve Ganley, iNaturalist