Quercus castanea
species of plant
Quercus castanea is a species of oak tree. It is widespread across much of Mexico, from Sonora to Chiapas, and in Central America.
Description
It is a deciduous tree up to 15 metres (49 feet) tall with a trunk as much as 80 cm (31 in) in diameter. The leaves are thick and leathery, up to 11.6 cm (4+1⁄2 in) long, and elliptical with numerous pointed teeth along the edges. It flowers from March to June, and its acorns mature between October and December.
The species hybridizes with other sympatric red oak species across its range.
Distribution and habitat
Quercus castanea is native to the mountains of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. In Mexico, the species inhabits the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, and Sierra Madre del Sur between 1,400 and 2,600 m (4,600 and 8,500 ft) elevation. It also inhabits the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of Mexico Mexico and Guatemala, and the Montecristo Massif where the borders of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras meet. In Guatemala, Q. castanea has been reported up to 3,500 m (11,500 ft) elevation.
“Quercus castanea” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Quercus, castanea and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Quercus castanea” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Quercus, castanea and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6323405. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Quercus castanea”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Quercus castanea primary sources, Quercus castanea archive and Quercus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Quercus castanea”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Quercus castanea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.