PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Quercus humboldtii
Fagaceae FAMILY

Quercus humboldtii

Quercus humboldtii

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content. Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

A plant of higher elevations in the tropics, where it is found at elevations from 1,300 - 3,000 metres. It is found in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range 16 - 24°c and the mean annual rainfall is 1,500 - 2,500mm[2]. Young plants require some shade, especially from the strongest sun, but the plant requires a sunny position as it grows older[3, 2]. Succeeds in most soils, it can be found both in moderately fertile and deep soils as well as in degraded, almost barren soils[3, 2]. It grows better on shallow soils with a thick layer of humus, and relatively loose soils with good drainage[2]. Prefers a pH between 5.8 - 7.0[2]. Smaller trees respond well to coppicing[2]. Fruiting normally starts when the tree is 4 - 5 metres tall, sometimes when it is only 2 metres. Fruiting is annual, with the seed usually maturing in 18 months[3]. It takes 35 years from seed to produce a commercial crop of timber[2]. At this stage yields of 400 cubic metres of wood per hectare can be obtained[3].

Propagation

Seed - the seeds can be stored for about four months in a cold and dry place with good aeration. The seed does not require any special pre-treatments, but it is recommended to wash the fruits before sowing. Sowing should be done immediately after the fruits have been washed, sowing them in shaded nursery seedbeds or, preferably, in large bags, 20 x 30cm[2]. Sowing depth should equal the diameter of the fruit[2]. It is advisable to use soil taken from a natural oakwood. Germination takes 60 - 65 days. The seedlings and saplings must not be exposed to direct sunlight. The seedlings can be transplanted to the field when they reach a height of 60 - 80cm. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Quercus+humboldtii>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
  2. [2]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
  3. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  5. [5]Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Some Quercus Species Growing in Turkey — Didem Söhretoğlu; Melike Ekizoğlu; Ekrem Kiliç; M. Koray Sak · 2007 ↩︎
  6. [6]Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. — Riotte. L. · Garden Way, Vermont, USA. · 1978 · ISBN 0-88266-064-0 ↩︎Fairly good.
  7. [7]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  8. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎