Quercus emoryi Arizona Black Oak, Emory Oak, Bellota
EVERGREEN TREE. Leaves long pointed, strongly toothed, dark green,
slightly fuzzy below, shiny and slightly fuzzy above. Bark dark charcoal
gray. Crown irregular when young, rounded when old, with a lacy fringe
of tiny twigs. The common oak of rolling grassland, less adapted
to rocky slopes than the other desert oaks. May be drought deciduous.
In the Empires, locally common on higher grassland slopes and along old
roads, but most trees are stunted and carry a lot of dead wood. Q.
turbinella has toothed leaves but they are smaller, smooth, and bluish
green. Q. pungens is a much smaller treen with curled leaves
that are truly lobed, not just toothed.
FAMILY: Fagaceae (Beech Family)