| Common Name |
Interior live oak, California live oak |
| Latin Name |
Quercus wislizenii |
| Family |
Fagaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
7-9,14-16,18-21 / 6-10 |
| Type / Form |
Tree / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
3,000 to 6,000 on dry slopes of Coastal Mountains |
| Soil |
Dry decomposed granite, clay loam with some organic
content |
| Water |
Once per month depending on soil |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Height X Width |
10 feet X 20 feet, maximum 75 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Holly-like leaves |
| Leaves |
Alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery,
ovate to elliptical, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, margin either entire or
with sharply pointed teeth; leaf surface flat, shiny green above,
yellow-green below. |
| Flowers |
Monoecious;
males are slender, yellow-green catkins 2 to 3 inches long; females are
very small, in clusters of 2 to 4 in leaf axils; both appear in early
spring with the leaves.
Acorn, 1
to 1 1/2 inches long, narrow, cone shaped with a pointed end; cap is
scaly and covers approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the nut; matures in 2
seasons. |
| Bark / Roots |
Young bark is smooth gray, green-brown; older stems
become very dark rough and irregularly furrowed with scaly ridges.
Twigs moderate,
greenish brown, fuzzy when young; buds clustered orange-brown, broadly
triangular and pointed. |
| Maintenance |
Low |
| Propagation |
Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to
dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as
soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected
from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep
pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be
planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact
seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[11]. Trees should not be
left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being
moved or they will transplant very badly.
|
| Pests and diseases |
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. |
| Landscaping uses |
Erosion control, windbreak, borders, low maintenance,
fire retardant |
| Garden Suitability |
Mountain, Songbird, Thornless, Butterfly, Fire Retardant,
Ethnobotanical |
| Ornamental Value |
Deep shade, evergreen |
| Nature Value |
Acorns eaten by squirrels and strong beaked birds,
larval plant for butterflies and several species of wasps |
| Native American Uses |
Acorn ground for soup and flour for unleavened bread |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/interior.html |
| Images and data |
http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?-MaxRecords=50&-SkipRecords=0&-Op=bw&rid=1266 |
| Images and data |
http://www.sunnygardens.com/garden_plants/quercus/quercus_2061.php |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58113/ |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_wislizenii |
| Images and data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/Q/Quercus_wislizenii.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fagaceae/Quercus_wislizenii.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=556 |
| Images and data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Quercus+wislizenii |
| Data |
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quewis/all.html |
| Distribution map |
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=6906&flora_id=1 |
| Distribution map |
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501098 |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
| Nursery, images, and
data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/564.htm |
| Note: |
Moderate pollinator |