Many kinds of oaks grow in SE Arizona. All produce acorns and all have stiff, shiny leaves, which are dark green above. They grow from mid-elevations, in canyons and on hillsides, and up to high elevations above the desert.

The table below illustrates five of the most common kinds: Emory, Mexican Blue, Arizona White, Silverleaf, and Gambel Oaks. Use leaf-shape, color, and texture of the leaf's top and bottom, and bark color to distinguish them. Note: there are many other kinds of oak and scrub-oaks in Arizona. The ones mentioned above are the most commonly seen.

Arizona White, Emory, and Mexican Blue Oak leaves are typically elliptical. The edges of Emory Oak leaves generally have small sharp points and the leaves themselves are more pointy than the others, although on some trees the leaves have nearly smooth edges. Bark color is helpful in separating Emory and Arizona White Oaks: Emory bark is nearly black; Arizona White is pale gray. Mexican Blue Oak leaves are a smokey blue color, as the name of the tree suggests. Silverleaf Oak leaves are narrow and taper to a sharp point They are shiny above but fuzzy and whitish below. Of these southwestern oaks, only Gambel Oak has the deeply lobed shape so characteristic of many of the oaks in other parts of the country. Check the pictures below to make identification.

Emory Oak	Mexican Blue Oak	Arizona White Oak	Silverleaf Oak	Gambel Oak
Bark black	Bark ash-gray	Bark gray	Bark dark gray	Bark gray

Gambel Oak, found at higher elevations than the others, loses its leaves in winter.