[1] The species is part of the Quercus laurina group of oaks from Mexico and Central America, which share many similarities and are often confused with one another.

The upper and lower leaf surfaces are glabrous, or retain only some clustered trichomes in the axils of the secondary veins.

It inhabits the Sierra Madre Oriental and northern Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, in the states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca.

It is frequently associated with Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus affinis, Quercus polymorpha, Ostrya virginiana, Cornus excelsa, Eugenia xalapensis, and Carpinus tropicalis.

The species is threatened with habitat loss from frequent fires, livestock grazing, and logging.