California scrub oak

Description

Quercus berberidifolia, the California scrub oak, is a small evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubby oak in the white oak section of Quercus. It is a native of the scrubby hills of California, and is a common member of chaparral ecosystems. Quercus berberidifolia grows to 1–2 metres (3+1⁄2–6+1⁄2 ft) tall, rarely to 4 m (13 ft), and has sharply toothed, dull green leaves which are 1.5–3 centimetres (5⁄8–1+1⁄8 inches) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–1 in) broad, leathery on their top surfaces and somewhat hairy underneath. 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. 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 meters high. The epithet berberidifolia means "barberry-leaved," referring to the spiny leaf margins characteristic of Q. berberidifolia as well as of several species of Berberis. The species is often known simply as scrub oak, though this name is 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. Quercus berberidifolia sometimes hybridizes with other species. 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. An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus ( "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus (stone oaks), as well as in those of unrelated species such as Grevillea robusta (silky oaks) and the Casuarinaceae (she-oaks). The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. North America has the largest number of oak species, with approximately 160 species in Mexico of which 109 are endemic and about 90 in the United States.