Quercus agrifolia

Quercus agrifolia, the California live oak, or coast live oak, is a highly variable, often evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is generally a medium-sized tree. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section of oaks (Quercus sect. Lobatae).

Coast live oak
Coast live oak foliage with new spring growth

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Lobatae
Species:
Q. agrifolia
Binomial name
Quercus agrifolia
Natural range
Synonyms
List
  • Quercus acroglandis Kellogg
  • Quercus acutiglandis Sarg.
  • Quercus agrifolia var. frutescens Engelm.
  • Quercus agrifolia var. oxyadenia (Torr.) J.T.Howell
  • Quercus oxyadenia Torr.
  • Quercus pricei Sudw.

This species is commonly sympatric with canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis), and the two may be hard to distinguish because their spinose leaves are superficially similar.

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