Cercocarpus fothergilloides


Cercocarpus fothergilloides is a Mexican plant species in the rose family. It is widely distributed in northern and eastern Mexico, from Tamaulipas and Coahuila south as far as Oaxaca.

Description

Cercocarpus fothergilloides is a shrub or small tree sometimes reaching 5 meters in height but usually much shorter. Leaves are egg-shaped, thick and leathery, with a thick coat of hairs on the underside but nearly hairless on the upper side. Flowers are borne in groups of 5–10.

Range and habitat

Cercocarpus fothergilloides is widely distributed in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo, where it is found in the Sierra Madre Oriental and ranges on the Mexican Plateau. Its estimated extent of occurrence is large, at 220,293.371 km2. Its estimated area of occupancy is 304 km2, but is likely much larger.
It is found in montane dry shrubland and montane oak forest and woodland, from 1400 to 2,600 meters elevation.

Conservation

The species is subject to habitat loss from logging, livestock grazing, human-caused fires, and other human activity across much of its range. It is also found in areas of well-conserved habitat. It not currently considered threatened, and its conservation status is assessed as least concern.