Quercus engelmannii

Engelmann oak

Family: Fagaceae · Type: tree · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Engelmann oak is a California native tree found in southern California, the southern Channel Islands, San Gabriel Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges in woodland and foothill slopes at elevations below 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to May, this tree produces small greenish flowers in characteristic oak clusters. Growing 5 to 25 meters tall with a gray, narrowly furrowed bark and evergreen canopy, it develops distinctive branching patterns with young twigs initially covered in fine hair. Its leathery leaves are oblong to obovate, 2 to 6 centimeters long, with a dull blue-green upper surface and pale blue-green undersides that are soft-hairy when young. The tree produces acorn cups 10 to 15 millimeters wide with slightly tubercled scales, maturing within one year.

Habitat: Slopes, foothills, woodland

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 1300 m

Bioregions: SCo, s ChI (1 tree on Santa Catalina Island), SnGb, PR

California counties: San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Solano, Yolo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.