Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) Login         


        Description
  • Height 20 - 65 ft.
  • EW Bloom Mar - May
  • Blue-green leaves with wavy edges, plus corn flake bark, are quick way to identify this oak.
  • Leaves are relatively small and sparse, allowing it to tolerate more sun and dryer places than other California deciduous oaks.
  • CA native. Found only in California.
  • Beech Family (Fagaceae)



Leathery blue-green leaves often have shallow lobes. They have a short petiole (stalk) and are generally 2 - 3 inches long.



Bark is pale and checkered by medium-size cracks. It reminds me of corn flakes.



This moderately sized oak has a heavy trunk and branches. It's common in dry, hot places that have some water.

   Photo Gallery (69 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

Blue Oak has been called the "hallmark species" of the dry, open foothills that surround the Central Valley. Its root system works well in dry, roc ...

Blue Oak has a round canopy, with many crooked branches. The spherical brushy places in the tree are mistletoe.

Blue Oak leaves are thick. Their edges are wavy or shallowly [[lobed]], and do not have bristles. They grow 1 to 3 inches long. Their top surface ...

The underside of a leaf has short downy hairs, which help collect and retain moisture.

Blue Oak hosts a variety of gall insects. Insects deposit larvae on a stem or leaf of the tree. Either the insect or the larva (varying by species ...