78 MISC. PUBLICATION 4 7 1 , IT. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Q. cinnamomea Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 184. pi. 371. 

 1924. 



Large or medium-sized tree. Twigs 1.5 to 2 or 3 mm. thick, sub- 

 terete or fluted, dark reddish brown, sparsely or densely buff-stellate- 

 tomentose, glabrate with few scarcely prominent lenticels, grayish the 

 second season. Buds scarcely 2 mm. long, round-ovoid, glabrous or 

 the scales eijiate, brown: stipules caducous. Leaves evergreen, thin 

 but firm and somewhat chartaceous, 3 to usually 8 or even 12 cm. long, 

 1 to usually 2 or 3 cm. broad, oblong-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate or 

 rarely oblanceolate, apex acute or usually rounded, in either event 

 aristate-tipped, base rounded or subeordate, rarely subcuneate, entire, 

 the margins minutely revolute and often rather coarsely undulate- 

 crisped, upper surface rather dull, glabrous or stellate-pubescent about 

 the base of the midrib, lower surface dull or somewhat shiny, incon- 

 spicuously low-bullate or smooth, more or less densely bufT-stellate- 

 tomentose, the hairs rather markedly curly, tardily glabrate or per- 

 sistently hairy, some forms rather sparingly tomentose: veins 12 to 15 

 or even 20 on each side, often with intermediates, much branched and 

 obviously anastomosing toward the margin, slightly if at all impressed 

 above, the reticulum slightly raised, rather prominent beneath with 

 the reticulum less so; petioles 2 to usually 5 or even 7 mm. long, 

 tomentose or glabrate with the leaves. Catkins? Fruit biennial, 

 solitary, paired, or several on a peduncle 2 to 7 or rarely 10 mm. long; 

 cups about 12 mm. broad, 10 mm. high, turbinate with a constricted 

 base, the margins inrolled, scales ovate-lanceolate, apices rounded, 

 rather closely appressed, canescent-pubescent; acorns about 12 mm. 

 long, 8 mm. broad, glabrous or slightly silky, light brown, about one- 

 half or two-thirds included. (See pis. 117 and 118.) 



Range: Chiapas, Mexico, and northern Guatemala. 



Quercus crispipUis represents one of the most utterly confusing 

 problems in the study of Central American Quercus. Typical ma- 

 terial, taken alone, would seem to constitute a distinct species with 

 clear-cut characters. Similarly, the specimens that have been 

 described as Q. skutchii. Q. chicharacana. Q. pannosifolia. etc., would 

 seem, at least in the aggregate, to represent a distinct species if not 

 a homogeneous one. However, between these two groups there occur 

 surprising intermediates. For instance, what has been called Q. 

 cinnamomea has some of the characters of Q. crispipUis but the thick 

 tomentum of the pannosifolia aggregation. The more fundamental 

 characters are identical throughout this entire complex, but the 

 pannosifolia relationship may be distinguished as a variety with usually 

 thicker and more dense and often persistent tomentum, less constantly 

 entire leaves, and a lower leaf surface usually granular-bullate. The 

 problem is also further complicated by a relationship between the 

 variety and Q. candicans Nee, which is discussed below. 



Specimens examined: 



MEXICO.— Chiapas: Canjob, April 30, 1904, Goldman 919 (US): Comitan, 

 June 12, 1906, Cook 99 (US): between Comitan and Bajucuc, June 14, 1906, Cook 

 109 (US): between Bajucuc and Mendoza, June 15, 1906, Cook 116 (US [type of 

 Q. cerifera]): Las Casas, February 1939, Martinez 364 (USXA) ; April 1939, 

 Martinez 365 (USXA); July 1940, Martinez 386 (USXA). 



GUATEMALA. — Dept. Huehuetexaxgo: L'axac Canal, August 23, 1896, 

 Seler 2667 (G [isotype]) : Huehuetenango, January 14, 1939, Standley 62593 

 (F, L^SXA) ; 10 km. east of Huehuetenango toward Aguacatan, January 2, 1941, 

 Standley 82108 (L'SXA); mountains west of Aguacatan toward Huehuetenango, 



