Quercus manzanillana

Quercus manzanillana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Fagaceae
Genus:	Quercus
Subgenus:	Quercus subg. Quercus
Section:	Quercus sect. Quercus
Species:	Q. manzanillana
Binomial name
Quercus manzanillana Trel.

Quercus manzanillana is a shrub in the genus Quercus indigenous to Mexico. It was described in 1924 by William Trelease. It is found in the Mexican state of Puebla.

Description

The twigs of Quercus manzanillana measure about 2-3 mm in diameter. They are fluted and initially covered in a grayish, tomentulose coating. The buds are light brown, glabrous and glossy, ovoid in shape, and approximately 2 x 3 mm in size.

The leaves of this oak species are deciduous and elliptical in shape. They are obtuse and exhibit a more or less cordate base. The leaf margins are typically entire or very obscurely repand towards the upper part. The leaves measure 2.5-3.5 cm in width and 5-8 cm in length. The upper leaf surface is essentially glabrous and somewhat glossy, while the lower surface is densely covered in a persistent rusty-tomentose pubescence. The leaves have approximately 10 pairs of looped veins, and the petiole is tomentulose and measures around 5 mm in length.

Validity

According to Susana Valencia-A. in 2004, this species described by Trelease is not valid. They claim that Quercus manzanillana represents a hybrid between different oak species or a morphological variety of an existing species. In 2003, Zavala-Chavez proposed an alternative classification for Quercus manzanillana. According to Zavala-Chavez's research, this oak species could be considered a variety of Quercus deserticola. However, these proposals are not universally accepted, and the taxonomic relationship between Quercus manzanillana and other oak species requires additional investigation.