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Leaves: alternate, simple evergreen, less than 6.4 cm long; ovate to broadly lanceolate, spiny tip and few spiny lateral teeth; stiff, leathery, lustrous yellow-green above and below
Fruit: less than 19 mm long, rounded, 1/3+ enclosed in cup; sweetish, edible; 2 years to mature
Bark: black, thick, furrowed
Range: Southwest, 1220-2135 m elevation
Importance: most common oak of woodland type in Mexico border region; good firewood; acorns low in tannins hence sweet; eaten by Indians and Mexicans; important wildlife food
Best Recognized Features:
1. Ovate leaf with 1 to few short spiny teeth
2. Black, thick, furrowed bark
3. Large tree size