Quercus crispipilis Trel.

Sponsor

Kindly sponsored by
The Trees and Shrubs Online Oak Consortium

The International Dendrology Society, The Wynkcoombe Arboretum, and several private individuals

Credits

Allen Coombes & Roderick Cameron (2026)

Recommended citation
Coombes, A. & Cameron, R. (2026), 'Quercus crispipilis' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/quercus/quercus-crispipilis/). Accessed 2026-05-19.

Family

Fagaceae

Genus

Quercus
Subgen. Quercus, Sect. Lobatae

Synonyms

Quercus cerifera Trel.
Quercus cinnamomea Trel.

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

berry: Fleshy indehiscent fruit with seed(s) immersed in pulp.
dbh: Diameter (of trunk) at breast height. Breast height is defined as 4.5 feet (1.37 m) above the ground.
indumentum: A covering of hairs or scales.

References

Credits

Allen Coombes & Roderick Cameron (2026)

Recommended citation
Coombes, A. & Cameron, R. (2026), 'Quercus crispipilis' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/quercus/quercus-crispipilis/). Accessed 2026-05-19.

A vigorous Quercus crisipilis at Arboretum de la Bergerette, France, in October 2021. Image © Koen Camelbeke, Arboretum Wespelaar.

Large tree to at least 20 m tall, young shoots sparsely to densely tomentose. Leaves evergreen, oblong to lanceolate or oblanceolate, to 14 × 4 cm or sometimes 6 cm wide, apex rounded to pointed, bristle-tipped, base rounded to cordate, margin entire, or sometimes with a few bristle-tipped teeth in what was described as var. pannosifolia, often crisped and slightly revolute, veins 12–15 or sometimes up to 20 on each side. They are glabrous on the upper surface or with sparse hairs at the base of the midrib, tomentose, sometimes densely, with curly hairs on the lower surface, sometimes soon glabrous. Petiole up to 7 mm long. Fruits solitary or several clustered together on a peduncle to 1 cm long, cupules top-shaped, to 10 × 13 mm, the margins inrolled, acorns to 12 × 8 mm, ½ to ⅔ included in the cup and ripening the second year. (Muller 1942; Trelease 1924).

Distribution Guatemala Mexico Chiapas

Habitat Oak and oak-pine forest at 1600–2800 m.

USDA Hardiness Zone 8

RHS Hardiness Rating H4

Conservation status Near threatened (NT)

Quercus crispipilis was introduced to New Zealand from Chiapas, Mexico, by Bob Berry in 1982, and there are several trees at Hackfalls Arboretum, the largest 15 m tall in 2016, with a dbh of 83 cm measured in 2020 (Hackfalls Arboretum 2024). Seed from the Hackfalls trees has been distributed, and a grove of trees from this seed grows at Gurthrie Smith Arboretum, at Lake Tutira near Napier. Trees from Q. crispipilis acorns were also planted in a closely spaced trial plot at the Arboretum in 2004: despite being nibbled to the ground by rabbits almost immediately afterwards, they have put on about 2 cm dbh per year, reaching 24–27 m × 47–49 cm in 2025 (E. Cairns, pers. comm.) A plant derived from Hackfalls seed is at Arboretum de la Bergerette, France, and measured 16 m × 40 cm in 2025 (S. Haddock, pers. comm. 2025). Trees seen grown from Hackfalls seed appear to have come true, probably because there are several trees there.

Considering its tropical origin, this species is proving remarkably hardy. A tree at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK was grown from seed collected in Guatemala by Guy Sternberg in 1998, but it has shown very slow growth: in 2015 it measured 3.1 m × 2 cm. Other notable trees in the UK include Higham Lodge, Suffolk, 11 m × 4 cm in 2007; RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon, 9 m × 18 cm in 2017; Chevithorne Barton, Devon, 4 m × 4 cm (The Tree Register 2025); Uggeshall, Suffolk, c. 3 m (pers. obs. AJC 2021). It is also grown at Penrice Castle (T. Methuen-Campbell, pers. comm. 2021). At Arboretum du Passadou, France it was just under 10 m tall in 2024 (Chassé & Haddock 2025).

The epithet is from Latin and means ‘with curly hairs’, from crispus (‘curly’) + pilus (‘hair’), referring to the indumentum of the lower leaf surface (Wiktionary 2025).

Quercus crisipilis leaves are tomentose beneath, at least when young. Arboretum de la Bergerette, France, October 2021. Image © Koen Camelbeke, Arboretum Wespelaar.

Quercus crisipilis bark at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK in August 2021. Image Maricela Rodriguez.

Upper leaf surface from Guy Sternberg's Guatemalan collection of Quercus crisipilis at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK. August 2021. Image Maricela Rodriguez.

Lower leaf surface on Quercus crisipilis at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK. August 2021. Image Maricela Rodriguez.

Quercus crisipilis foliage of a plant at Chevithorne Barton, Devon, UK in August 2008. It probably came as seed from one of the trees at Hackfalls Arboretum, New Zealand. Image © James MacEwen.