The leaves are thick and leathery, rarely flat, usually cupped, up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) long, dark green on the top but covered with a thick of reddish-brown hairs on the underside.

In Spanish it has many common names, like "encino negro" (black oak) or "encino quiebra hacha" (axe-breaking oak).

Colloquially it is known as "chaparro", a word which has also passed into the lexicon as slang for a short person.

[6][7][8][9][10] It grows extensively in the temperate highlands of central Mexico, particularly on hillsides and in narrow gorges, between 1,800 and 2,900 meters elevation.

[1] It is associated and usually coexists with other oaks, alders, pines and Texas madrones.