Quercus gambelii (Gambel oak)

Gambel oak is native to the lower mountains and foothills of western North America.

Plants: Trees are 9½–30′ (3–9 m), though in ideal conditions, they can reach double this height. The largest recorded specimen, in Arizona, is 115′ (35 m) tall. Bark is red-brown to gray.

Leaves: 2½–4½ ⨉ 1½–2″ (7–12 ⨉ 4–6 cm), deeply or moderately lobed. They are obovate to oblong-obovate. Leaf stalks (petioles) are ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) long. The upper surface is glossy and dark green, while the lower surface is pale and velvety.

Flowers: Insignificant greenish or brownish staminate (male) or pistillate (female) catkins. Flowers appear from April to June.

Fruits: Light brown acorns are ⅜–¾″ (1–2 cm), with ⅓ to ½ covered by a cap. They may be single or in small clusters.

Habitats: At elevations of 3281–9843′ (1–3 km), on sunny hillsides with thin, rocky, alkaline soil. They appear on slopes, in canyons and foothills.

8/28/2014 · High Road to Taos, New Mexico · ≈ 2½ × 1½′ (79 × 53 cm)

8/28/2014 · High Road to Taos, New Mexico · ≈ 2 × 1½′ (67 × 46 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fagales	Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others
Family	Fagaceae	Beech familhy
Genus	Quercus	Latin for “oak”
Species	gambelii	After William Gambel (1821-1849), an assistant curator at the Natural (now National) Academy of Sciences and an avid western plant collector

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Range: Zones 3-9:

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