About Quercus oleoides Schltdl. & Cham.
Quercus oleoides Schltdl. & Cham., commonly called encina or encino in Spanish, is a Mesoamerican oak species that belongs to section Virentes (the southern live oaks group of the genus Quercus).
This tree grows in dry forests and pastureland across eastern and southern Mexico, as well as most of Central America. Its range extends from Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica, northward to the State of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico.
Quercus oleoides is a slow-growing tree that reaches a height of 8 to 15 metres (26 to 49 feet). It bears evergreen leaves that are pale gray, thick, and hard; the leaves measure 4 to 11 centimetres (1+1⁄2 to 4+1⁄4 inches) in length, 2 to 5 centimetres (3⁄4 to 2 inches) in width, and are oblong or elliptic in shape.
It flowers from December through May. Male catkins are 3 to 4 centimetres (1+1⁄4 to 1+1⁄2 inches) long, while female catkins range from 3 to 30 millimetres (1⁄8 to 1+1⁄8 inches) long and hold 1 to 6 flowers, each around 7 millimetres long. Its wood is extremely heavy with intercrossed grain; the sapwood is white, and the heartwood is brown.
