Kingdom Plantae Family Fagaceae Rank Species | Order Fagales Genus Quercus | |
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Quercus welshii (wavy leaf oak, shinnery oak, Tucker oak) is a North American species of shrub in the (beech family) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.
Contents
Growth pattern
Quercus welshii is a deciduous shrub 2 to 6 feet (0.61 to 1.83 m) tall.
Roots, stems, and leaves
Quercus welshii has an elaborate root system that helps stabilize soils in sandy desert scrub communities.
Elliptical or lance-shaped leaves with 6-10 lobes along the margins, with pointed tips, sometimes with lobes and teeth.
Leaves are up to 1⁄2 to 2 inches (1.3 to 5.1 cm) long with dense hairs on both sides, becoming smooth with age.
Quercus welshii is well anchored in sandy soils by complex root systems.
Inflorescence and fruit
Quercus welshii blooms from March to June.
Male and female flowers are in separate hanging clusters.
Acorns are 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 inch (13 to 19 mm) long.
Habitat and range
Quercus welshii can be found in Sand desert shrub communities, and sandy soils of blackbrush scrub and pinyon juniper woodland communities in Arizona, Utah, western Colorado, and northwestern New Mexico.
Ecological and human interactions
The species was named after Stanley L. Welsh.