chinquapin
Chrysolepis chrysophylla

Family: Fagaceae.

Type: Evergreen tree.

Branching: Alternate.

Leaves: Simple. The leaves have shiny green upper surfaces and very distinctive bright yellow undersides, a key characteristic. Leaves are long and narrow and come to a long point (longer than that of canyon live oak). Margins are mostly entire. Leaves are flatter in moister locations, and can curl somewhat in dry locations.

Twig: See photos; not commented upon.

Fruit & Flower: The fruit is a nut that is almost completely concealed by a very sharp spiny casing which is green when fresh, and dry out at maturity to a yellow or black shade. Male flowers are spiky, at tips of branches.

Miscellaneous: Chinquapin is in the oak family, but is not an oak. Typically has a conical crown, unlike the rounded crowns of oaks. "Chryso" in Latin means yellow. Found in forests in the California coastal areas at relatively high altitudes (1500' or higher) with more moisture, and in the Sierras, where a shrub version of chinquapin exists. Its range extends southward to the vicinity of Santa Cruz, and northward into the Pacific Northwest.