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Mexican blue oak Fagaceae Quercus oblongifolia Torr. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: QUOB
Leaf: Alternate, evergreen, simple, oblong, 1 to 2 inches long, entire margins, rounded tip, leathery and stiff, blue-green above, green beneath.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males in long drooping catkins, yellow-green; females very small spikes in leaf axils, appearing with the leaves.
Fruit: Oblong acorn, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, reddish; scaly bowl-shaped cap, covers 1/3 of nut; ripens in 1 year in early fall.
Twig: Slender to moderate, hairless; end buds clustered, reddish brown and blunt.
Bark: Light gray with shallow furrows that develop into rectangular patches with scaly tops.
Form: A small tree or large shrub reaching up to 30 feet with a short trunk and a spreading round crown.
 Looks like: Emory oak - gray oak - Arizona white oak - netleaf oak

Mexican blue oak leaf image
Mexican blue oak fruit image
Mexican blue oak twig image
Mexican blue oak bark image
Mexican blue oak form image
Mexican blue oak map image

Additional Range Information: Quercus oblongifolia is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information