About Quercus pringlei Seemen ex Loes.
Quercus pringlei Seemen ex Loes. is a species of oak that grows as a shrub or small tree. Most individuals reach 0.5 to 4 meters in height, and occasional specimens grow as tall as 10 meters. This oak is native to the Sierra Madre Oriental and the isolated mountain ranges of the southern Mexican Plateau, occurring between 1,500 and 2,400 meters in elevation across the Mexican states of Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. It grows in sparse to dense submontane scrub, and extends into montane oak and pine-oak forests at higher elevations. It is commonly found growing alongside other oaks including Quercus intricata, Quercus invaginata, Quercus pungens, and Quercus striatula, as well as the conifers Pinus cembroides, Juniperus saltillensis, and Juniperus pinchotii. When Quercus pringlei's native habitat is degraded by deforestation, fire, or overgrazing, the species is often replaced by sparse or dense chaparral dominated by Quercus striatula, Agave gentryi, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, and other plants typical of lower-elevation xerophilous scrub communities.
