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| Common Name | Coast live oak, California live oak |
| Latin Name | Quercus agrifolia |
| Family / Origin | Fagaceae / |
| Sunset zone / USDA zone | 7-9, 14-24 / 7-10 |
| Type / Form | Tree / Large |
| Native Habitat | 3,000 to 5,000 on dry slopes of Coastal Mountains |
| Soil | Dry decomposed granite, clay loam with some organic content |
| Exposure | Sun to partial sun |
| Water | Once per month depending on soil |
| Height X Width | 20 feet X 40 feet, maximum 100 feet |
| Protective Mechanism | Holly-like leaves |
| Leaves | Evergreen, holly-like |
| Flowers | Males yellow-green catkin, females reddish green spike, Mar, Apr |
| Bark / Roots | The bark of young trees is smooth. With age, it develops deep furrows, ridges, and a thickness of about 8 to 9% of bole or branch diameter. The inner bark and cork layers are thick. / The root system consists of a deep taproot that is usually nonfunctional in large trees. Several deep main roots may tap groundwater if present within approximately 36 feet (11 m) of the soil surface. Coast live oak develops extensive horizontal root branches and surface-feeding roots. Tree roots in southwestern California are associated with mycorrhizae that aid in water uptake during the dry season. A network consisting of roots from 3 coast live oak trees and their and associated mycorrhizae covered a 50- × 13-foot (15- × 4-m) area of the soil profile that reached through weathered granite through to bedrock. Roots in clay soils were not infected with mycorrhizae. |
| Maintenance | Limbs may have to be pruned to allow for vehicle passage but do not prune during spring time due to exposure to disease, likes its litter (retains water and littler is not a fire hazard). |
| Propagation | Seed |
| Pests and Disease |
Resistant to Verticillium. Susceptible to Aphids, Beetle Borers, Beetle
Grubs, Caterpillars, Coddling Moths, Insect Galls, Scales and White Fly,
Sudden Oak Death, Crown Rot, Mistletoe, Oak Root Rot, Phytophthora,
Powdery Mildew, Root Rot and Sooty Mold. |
| Landscape Uses | Erosion control, windbreak, borders, low maintenance, fire retardant |
| Garden Suitability | Mountain, Songbird, Butterfly, Fire Retardant, Ethnobotanical |
| Nature Value | Acorns eaten by squirrels and strong beaked birds, larval plant for butterflies and several species of wasps |
| Native American Uses | Acorns leached, ground for soup and flour for unleavened bread |
| Comments | The Coast live oak is the larval host to the below listed butterflies: |
![]() Properitius Duskywing Mournful Duskywing California Sister Erynnis properitius Erynnis tristis Adelpha bredowii |
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| Links | |
| Images and data | http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/coast.html |
| Images and data | http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=548 |
| Images and data | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_agrifolia |
| Images and data | http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6983 |
| Images and data | http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Quercus%20agrifolia |
| Images and data | http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=quag |
| Images and data | http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?rid=1227 |
| Images and data | http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Quercus_agrifolia |
| Images and data | http://www.coestatepark.com/quercus_agrifolia_coe.htm |
| Images and data | http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=TS0068 |
| Images and data | http://www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/native-plant-nurseries/information/quercus-agrifolia.html |
| Images and data | http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Quercus_agrifolia |
| Images and data | http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Coast_Live_Oaks_(Quercus_agrifolia) |
| Images and data | http://www.fotopedia.com/en/Quercus_agrifolia |
| Images and data | http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/quercus-agrifolia/ |
| Images and data | http://www.pollenlibrary.com/Specie/Quercus+agrifolia/ |
| Images and data | http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fagaceae/Quercus_agrifolia.html |
| Data | http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/queagr/all.html |
| Data | http://tribes.tribe.net/warriortreeworld/thread/4fddb3f7-a4e6-4c39-9abb-bee6662ddb7e |
| Nursery, images, and data | http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/552.htm |
| Data | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501005 |
| Distribution map | http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=6726&flora_id=1 |
| Distribution map | http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=QUAG |
| Nursery | Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345, 760-947-6261 |
| Nursery | http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Quercus+agrifolia |
| Notice: | Moderate pollinator |
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