Quercus rysophylla Maya

Quercus rysophylla Maya is a Dutch selection derived from a rare evergreen Mexican oak in cultivation sometimes called the Loquat Oak. This cultivar distinguishes itself from the species by increased hardiness, smaller size, and intensely red-bronze to copper-red young shoots. This tree is suitable as a stand-alone specimen or in an informal hedge, in medium to small-sized gardens. It is adorned with large, wavy, tough, elliptical leaves of a shiny dark green, attractive even in winter. It is undemanding regarding soil, but it dislikes limestone soils.

Quercus rysophylla 'Maya' is a horticultural hybrid of Q. rysophylla obtained by Biloba nurseries in the Netherlands in 2006. The Loquat Oak, also known by its Latin name Quercus sierramadrensis, belongs to the beech family. It is native to the mountains of the Sierra Neuvo in northeastern Mexico, where it grows at altitudes ranging from 600 m (1968ft) to 1900 m (6234ft). It is a sun-loving species that tolerates any acidic soil, even dry and poor ones. This Maya variety is also more wind-resistant.

The growth of this Maya oak is fast; it reaches an average height of 8 m (26ft) and a spread of 4 m (13ft) at maturity. Its habit, rather narrow and conical during its youth, becomes more rounded over the years. Its trunk and very robust branches are covered with a dark grey bark, smooth in its youth and heavily fissured, exfoliating in large plates. From the trunk, upright branches reach towards the sky, forming a rounded, semi-open crown. Its young twigs are dark olive green. The characteristic foliage consists of evergreen, tough, thick, lanceolate to elliptical leaves, with few teeth, reaching up to 25 cm (10in) in length. The young shoots are beautifully coloured. The colour of the lamina then evolves from light and vibrant green to shiny dark green in summer, with the lower surface covered in a silvery down. The flowering of this oak occurs in May in the form of inconspicuous catkins. They give way to ovoid and glabrous acorns, ranging from 0.9 to 1.7 cm (1in) in length, of a light brown colour.

Quercus rysophylla 'Maya' is a perfectly hardy oak. It can be planted as a solitary specimen or in an avenue. Its modest size allows it to enhance a lawn in a small garden. It also has the advantage of adapting to dry and poor soils, allowing owners of less favourable land to enjoy a very beautiful shade tree, with decorative evergreen foliage all year round. It could also be used in an informal hedge with maples, lime trees, and sophoras in a large garden.