Quercus viminea Trel.

Quercus viminea is a very elegant tree of willow-like habit that is rare in gardens but deserves to be more widely cultivated. It was introduced by Francisco Garin from Jalisco in 2009, and there are two plants at Iturraran Botanic Garden, Spain, that were about 2 m tall in 2021 (F. Garin, pers. comm.) The following year it was collected by Béatrice Chassé from Sonora and Chihuahua. There are three trees at Arboretum des Pouyouleix, France, planted in 2012. The largest was 9 m × 13 cm in 2021 and has been producing acorns since the previous year (B. Chassé, pers. comm. 2021). Interestingly, the plants at Arboretum des Pouyouleix have untoothed leaves, while the Iturraran plants have both toothed and untoothed leaves. It is rare in Arizona where it has only been found in the Patagonia Mountains.

The epithet is derived from Latin and is used in botany to refer to willow-like plants. It derives from vimen, which means ‘twig, shoot’ and especially one used for wickerwork, or ‘osier’, i.e. any of various willow trees, especially Salix viminalis, considered the best willow for wickerwork (Wiktionary 2025).