Small or large tree (6 to 25 m.). Twigs rather coarse (3 to 5 mm.), fluted, from densely fulvous-tomentose becoming glabrate and gray or light brown with a few scarcely evident lenticels. Buds oblong, acute, about 4 mm. long, glabrous, with ligulate villous stipules 10 to 13 mm. long and persistent. Leaves apparently evergreen, thin and papery or rather firm, 10 to 25 or rarely 30 cm. long, 3 to 10 or even 14 cm. broad, oblanceolate to obovate or narrowly elliptic, attenuately acute at apex, narrowly rounded or cuneate at base, undulately or sharply low-dentate except the entire base, margins very minutely somewhat revolute, upper surface somewhat shining, glabrous or usually glabrescent from minutely puberu-lent, the midrib often persistently fulvous-tomentose, lower surface dull, persist-ently and sparsely villous especially on the veins and reticulum; veins about 14 to 22 on each side, much branched and obviously anastomosing near the margin but eventually passing into the teeth where those are present, slightly impressed above and very prominent (including the reticulum) beneath; petioles very short (3 to 5 mm. long), densely or sparsely fulvous-tomentose. Catkins? Fruit annual, rather large, solitary or paired on a peduncle 5 to 18 mm. long and 5 to 7 mm. thick; cups 3 to 4 cm. broad, openly goblet-shaped or cup-shaped, the scales triangular-ovate to oblong and narrowly obtuse, densely short-pubescent, loosely appressed; acorns depressed-subglobose or elliptic, 2.5 cm. long and 3 cm. broad or (in Panama material) 4 cm. long and 2.5 cm. broad, one-half or only one-fourth included.
Home