Emory Oak

Emory Oak is a semi-evergreen to evergreen oak of the sky island mountains of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, dominant in the oak woodland zone between the desert grasslands and pine forests. Its small, holly-like leaves are retained year-round, and it produces very sweet black acorns ('bellotas') that were a primary food staple for the Apache, O'odham, and many other Indigenous peoples of the Southwest. The tree is ecologically keystone for wildlife in a region with few other hard mast producers.