Quercus insignis Mart. & Gal.

Central America (Belize, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica); Mexico (Oaxaca, Veracruz); 200 to 2000 m;

to 30 m usually, but reaches 40 m with trunk to 1 m wide; trunk straight; crown rounded;

10-25 x 4-9 cm; semi-evergreen; oblong to oboval or elliptic; thick and stiff; apex pointed shortly acuminate; base obtuse to cordate, often asymmetrical; margin revolute, entire or remotely wavy or dentate-serrate, with 4-10 pairs of small mucronate teeth at apical 3/4 or from the base; dark green adaxially, slightly lustrous, glabrous except stalkless, stellate, shortly rayed hairs along midrib; pale yellow green beneath, somewhat lustrous, glabrous or with some stalkless, stellate hairs mostly along midrib; 10-20 vein pairs, pubescent; epidermis bullate and papillose; petiole densely tomentose 07-2 cm long;

March to July; staminate catkins 9-11 cm long; rachis of pistillate inflorescence bears 1 to 4 flowers;

big flattened acorn, 3-4 cm long, 4-7 cm in diameter; solitary or paired; sessile or on short peduncle 0.5 cm; pericarp hairless inside; enclosed 1/3 by cup; cup turbinate, 4-8 cm wide, with silvery pubescent imbricate scales; maturing in 1 year from July to October;

– A. Camus : n° 280; – Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Series Leucomexicanae; – Threatened (IUCN Red List Category : EN). – Hybrids with Q.lancifolia , named Q.galeottii Mart. & Gal.1843; – Actually Q. tomentocaulis differs from Q. insigni s in having : shorter petioles (ca. 0.5 cm), stipules persistent 2 years, leaves toothed in the apical half, with abaxially simple and stellate trichomes on midrib and secondary veins, free scales on the cupule, acorns conical, and a very different habitat.