Quercus vacciniifolia
Huckleberry oak
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Fagaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Quercus vacciniifolia (Huckleberry oak) is a native California shrub in the Fagaceae family, recognized by distinctive low prostrate growth form and small leaves.
Huckleberry oak is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada Mountains, and North Coast Mountains in conifer forests and on steep slopes and ridges at elevations of 150 to 2,930 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces small pale green to yellowish flowers in unassuming clusters. Growing as a low, prostrate to spreading evergreen shrub less than 1.5 meters tall, it forms slender, pliable branches with a distinctive spreading growth habit. Its leathery leaves are roughly oblong, 1.5 to 4 centimeters long, with entire or slightly toothed margins and a dull pale green color on the undersides. The mature acorn cups are 10 to 12 millimeters wide, with thin scales, and contain oval nuts 10 to 15 millimeters long that mature in the second year.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 22 sympatric species; distinctive low prostrate growth form and small leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Steep slopes, ridges, conifer forest, subalpine
Elevation: 150-2930 m
California counties: Trinity, El Dorado, Mariposa, Sierra, Siskiyou, Fresno, Butte, Plumas, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Madera, Amador, Nevada, Shasta, Alpine, Mendocino, Humboldt, Mono, Calaveras, Glenn, Inyo, Lassen, Tulare, Placer, Colusa, Lake, Tehama, Santa Barbara
Outside California: Oregon, Nevada
Bloom period
Quercus vacciniifolia blooms May-Jul.
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 vacciniifolia native to California?
Yes. Quercus vacciniifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Quercus vacciniifolia bloom?
Quercus vacciniifolia blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Quercus vacciniifolia grow?
Quercus vacciniifolia occurs in Trinity, El Dorado, Mariposa, Sierra, Siskiyou, Fresno, Butte, Plumas and other counties, at elevations of 150-2930 m.
What plant family does Quercus vacciniifolia belong to?
Quercus vacciniifolia is in the Fagaceae family, genus Quercus.
What habitat does Quercus vacciniifolia grow in?
Quercus vacciniifolia grows in Steep slopes, ridges, conifer forest, subalpine.
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.