OREGON OAK

Species Name: Quercus garryana
Family: Fagaceae (oak family)
Plant Type: Broad-leaf tree


Description:  Tree, wide top, height to 65 feet, deciduous with reddish-brown autumn color.


Leaf:  Length 2-6 inches, surface dark green, leathery, shiny, underside pale green to rusty with downy hair, margin with 5-7 deep, rounded lobes.

Flower:  Female flower tiny, singular or small clusters on new growth; male flower catkin, long, threadlike strand containing 25-100 male flowers, located on older growth.

Fruit/Seed:  Acorn:  oval to spherical, rounded tip, length to 1 inch, smooth interior, ripens in autumn after 1-year growth (but abundant crop irregular, every 2-5 years).  Cap small, shallow, cup-like with smooth to slightly bumpy scales.

Typical Location:  Established floodplain, valleys; elevations 1,000 to 5,900 feet.

Revegetation Approach:  Container, direct seed.  May hybridize with other oak species.

Key Notes:  Leaf and acorn morphology helps distinguish from valley oak (Q. lobata) and live oak (Q. agrifolia).

Notes:  Trees provide roosts and nesting sites for cavity nesting birds and bats.  Acorns are an important food source for many wildlife species, especially woodpeckers and squirrels.  Native Americans utilized acorns as a food crop, but less favored than live oak.  Trees harvested for lumber.