California scrub oak | |
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Conservation status | |
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Fagaceae |
Genus: | Quercus |
Subgenus: | Quercus subg. Quercus |
Section: | Quercus sect. Quercus |
Species: | Q. berberidifolia |
Binomial name | |
Quercus berberidifolia Liebm. | |
Synonyms | |
Quercus berberidifolia, the California scrub oak, is a small evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubby oak in the white oak section of Quercus. It is native to California and common in chaparral.
Description
Quercus berberidifolia grows to 1–2 metres (3+1⁄2–6+1⁄2 ft) tall, rarely to 4 m (13 ft). In cooler, more exposed areas, scrub oak is usually a small, compact shrub, but in warm or sheltered areas the plant can spread out and grow several metres high.
It has oval to egg-shaped, sharply toothed, dull green leaves which are 1.4–3 centimetres (1⁄2–1+1⁄8 inches) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–1 in) broad, leathery on their top surfaces and somewhat hairy underneath. Male and female catkins grow on the same plant, blooming as at the leaves unfurl.
The solitary or paired brown acorns are 1–3 cm (1⁄2–1 in) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–1 in) broad, and pointed or egg-shaped with thin caps when mature; they mature in about 6–8 months after pollination.
Similar species
The species is often known simply as scrub oak, a name also applied to other Quercus species, especially several which were formerly grouped under the single name Q. dumosa; all are found in scrubby habitats. Many other scrub-type oaks may be found in these regions, and careful inspection is required to identify individuals of Q. berberidifolia and its hybrids.
Etymology
The epithet berberidifolia means 'barberry-leaved', referring to the spiny leaf margins characteristic of Q. berberidifolia as well as of several species of Berberis.
Distribution and habitat
It is a native of the scrubby hills of California and a common member of chaparral ecosystems.
Ecology
Quercus berberidifolia sometimes hybridizes with other species.
Uses
The acorn is edible.
In culture
The word chaparral is derived from the Spanish word for scrub oak, chaparro. The non-specific meaning of the term is 'short in stature'. Because most scrub vegetation is rather low growing, the term is broadly applied to all of the vegetation in chaparral communities.
References
- Beckman, E. (2020). "Quercus berberidifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T194068A173545406. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T194068A173545406.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- "Quercus berberidifolia Liebm.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
- ^ Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus berberidifolia". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- "Quercus berberidifolia". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database.
External links
Taxon identifiers | |
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Quercus berberidifolia |
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- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Quercus
- Endemic flora of California
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Plants described in 1854
- Garden plants of North America