Quercus acerifolia (also called maple-leaf oak) is a rare North American species of oak in the red oak section of Quercus (known as Lobatae). It is endemic to just four locations within the Ouachita Mountains of the State of Arkansas.[3][4]
The tree sometimes reaches a height of 15 meters (50 feet). The venation of the leaves shows them to be technically pinnately five-lobed but with the two middle lobes larger than the other three. This makes the leaves appear palmately lobed at first glance, similar to many maple leaves. The epithet acerifolia means "maple-leaved."[5][6]
The species is threatened by habitat loss throughout its fragmented range.[1] The four identified native subpopulations of the species are protected; these are Sugarloaf Mountains-Midland Peak Natural Area, Mount Magazine State Park, and the Ouachita National Forest.[7]
Groves of the tree are under cultivation in several locations, notably Stephens Lake Park Arboretum in Columbia, Missouri.[8]
References
- ^ a b Wenzell, K.; Kenny, L.; Beckman, E. (2016). "Quercus acerifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T35039A2858212. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T35039A2858212.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Quercus acerifolia (E.J.Palmer) Stoynoff & Hess". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2012. Oak. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. A.Dawson and C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC Archived May 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Quercus acerifolia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus acerifolia". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Stoynoff, Nick Hess, William John 1990. Sida 14(2): 267-271 includes line drawings comparing Quercus acerifolia and Quercus shumardii
- ^ Subedi, Suresh C.; Ruston, Boone; Hogan, J. Aaron; Coggeshall, Mark V. (5 September 2023). "Defining the extent of suitable habitat for the endangered Maple-Leaf oak (Quercus acerifolia)". Frontiers of Biogeography. 15 (3). doi:10.21425/F5FBG58763.
- ^ "In Search of an Endangered Species: Quercus acerifolia". 10 February 2020.
External links