Quercus berberidifolia
Scrub oak, Scrub Oak
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Fagaceae · Type: Shrub / Tree · Native
Quercus berberidifolia (Scrub oak) is a native California shrub / tree in the Fagaceae family, recognized by . Small shrub with distinctively small, spiny-toothed leaves.
Scrub oak is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehachapi Mountains, Sutter Buttes, central Western California, and southwestern California in dry slopes and chaparral at elevations of 100 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers in its evergreen canopy. Growing as a dense shrub 1 to 3 meters tall or occasionally as a small tree to 8 meters, it develops a sturdy, multi-stemmed structure. Its leathery leaves are oblong to nearly round, 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, with a shiny green upper surface and pale green underside covered in minute stellate hairs, featuring distinctively spine-toothed margins. The mature acorns develop in thick, hemispheric cups 12 to 20 millimeters wide, with nuts 10 to 30 millimeters long that ripen within a single year.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 30 sympatric species. Small shrub with distinctively small, spiny-toothed leaves.
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry slopes, chaparral
Elevation: 100-1800 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, Lake, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, Alameda, Tuolumne, Butte, Mendocino, Monterey, Contra Costa, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Marin, Napa, Shasta, Tehama, Solano, Sonoma, Colusa, Placer, Glenn, Santa Clara, Sutter, San Benito, El Dorado, Nevada, Yuba, Santa Cruz, Mariposa, Tulare, San Mateo, Yolo
Outside California: Baja California
Bloom period
Quercus berberidifolia blooms Feb-Apr.
How to tell it apart
vs Prunus: Quercus has acorns in cups; cherries/plums have fleshy round fruits.; vs Notholithocarpus: Quercus has drooping catkins; tanoak has upright flower spikes.; vs Rhamnus: Quercus has acorns; buckthorns have berry-like fruits.; vs Ceanothus: Quercus has acorns; California lilacs have small capsule fruits.; vs Platanus: Quercus has acorns; sycamores have hanging ball-shaped seed clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quercus berberidifolia native to California?
Yes. Quercus berberidifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Quercus berberidifolia bloom?
Quercus berberidifolia blooms Feb-Apr.
Where in California does Quercus berberidifolia grow?
Quercus berberidifolia occurs in Los Angeles, Riverside, Lake, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Kern, Orange, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of 100-1800 m.
What plant family does Quercus berberidifolia belong to?
Quercus berberidifolia is in the Fagaceae family, genus Quercus.
What habitat does Quercus berberidifolia grow in?
Quercus berberidifolia grows in dry slopes, chaparral.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.