Quercus turbinella
Shrub live oak, Shrub Live Oak
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Family: Fagaceae · Type: Shrub / Tree · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Quercus turbinella (Shrub live oak) is a native California shrub / tree in the Fagaceae family, recognized by desert habitat and stalked acorns distinctive.
Shrub live oak is a California native shrub found in the eastern Mojave Desert (excluding desert mountains other than New York Mountains) in pinyon and juniper woodland at elevations of 1,200 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small greenish flowers on dense, fine-tomentose twigs. Growing as an evergreen shrub 2 to 5 meters tall, occasionally reaching tree size, it has a distinctive branching structure with densely covered stems. Its leathery leaves are oblong to elliptic, 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, with a dull gray-green upper surface and a lower surface covered in appressed-stellate and glandular yellow hairs, featuring regularly spine-toothed margins. The acorn cup is nearly hemispheric, 9 to 12 millimeters wide, with a yellow-brown nut 12 to 23 millimeters long that matures within one year.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; desert habitat and stalked acorns distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Pinyon/juniper woodland
Elevation: 1200-2000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Riverside, Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Inyo
Outside California: to Colorado, Texas, Baja California
Bloom period
Quercus turbinella blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 turbinella native to California?
Yes. Quercus turbinella is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Quercus turbinella bloom?
Quercus turbinella blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Quercus turbinella grow?
Quercus turbinella occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Riverside, Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and other counties, at elevations of 1200-2000 m.
What plant family does Quercus turbinella belong to?
Quercus turbinella is in the Fagaceae family, genus Quercus.
Is Quercus turbinella rare or endangered?
Quercus turbinella carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.