canyon live oak
Quercus chrysolepis

Family: Fagaceae.

Type: Evergreen tree.

Branching: Alternate.

Oak Group: Intermediate.

Leaves: Leaves are green on the upper side, whitish to yellowish and dingy-looking on the underside. The yellow undercoating, which is a powdery coating present on the youngest leaves, can be rubbed off and will not be present on the leaves of previous years (a way to distinguish from chinquapin), but the underside remains pale. Leaves are entire when old, but can be toothed when young, similar to the shreve oak. Leaf color is useful to distinguish from shreve oak; leaf toothing is useful to distinguish from chinquapin. Leaves are narrow and end in a point.

Twig: See photos; not commented upon.

Fruit & Flower: Acorns are fat and round, bigger and rounder than that of even the tanoak, with flat, somewhat warty scales on the cap that can have the same yellowish cast as the leaf undersides. The shape of the cap is like a beret, not a cup or bowl.

Miscellaneous: as its name indicates, the canyon live oak is typically found in canyons and up into mountain areas. It grows from Baja up through Oregon. It prefers areas with a little more shade and precipitation, and is often found in fairly sandy soils. It is shade-tolerant and drought-tolerant.