Quercus parvula var. tamalpaisensis

Tamalpais oak

Family: Fagaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Tamalpais oak is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in the San Francisco Bay region on Mount Tamalpais in understory conifer woodland at elevations of 100 to 750 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces small greenish-yellow flowers characteristic of oak species. Growing as a compact shrub one to six meters tall with multiple stems, it develops a distinctive spreading form. Its leaves are notable for long-tapered dentate margins, measuring 8 to 14 centimeters long with petioles 5 to 15 millimeters in length. This localized oak variety represents a unique ecological component of Mount Tamalpais' understory plant community.

Habitat: Understory conifer woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 100-750 m

Bioregions: SnFrB (Mount Tamalpais).

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