Quercus agrifolia Noah Marthinsen -California Native -Awesome Plant, does some very cool things. -Used as food source, capital punishment, political symbol and temporary residences in Berkeley, CA for thousands of years. Classification Fagaceae - Beech family (with Fagus, Castanea, Lithocarpus, etc) Quercus - Oak genus (600+ species; important genus historically and economically) Lobatae- Subsection of Red Oaks (also includes kelloggii, palustris, shumardii, etc) Identification Acorns- Slender reddish-brown acorns 2-4 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide borne on each season’s growth Cupule covers ~1/4, has appressed scales. Green when immature, matures in 7-8 months Leaves- Dark green, oval-obovate Spiny margins, convex, axillary hair on leaf vein Bark- Smooth grey bark, can become deeply fissured, and resemble carving. Older trees can be quite gnarly. Oak flowers? -Yes! (wind pollen) -Flowers in early- mid spring. - Imperfect flowers: male catkins are 5- 10 cm, female flowers less conspicuous, but give rise to acorns (better way of IDing Oaks) Structure • Potentially epic architecture – Training or not? • Can also be hedged (ugly) • My favorite thing about oaks. Habitat & Culture • California Endemic- range from Mendocino to Baja – Coast to Sierra Nevada foothills- up to 1500 m • Sunset Zones 7-9, 14-24 (includes every single non- desert or non-alpine zone in California) • Best close to coast (but not ON coast) – Stabilizing temperatures, salt-air tolerant, coastal fog helps with dry summers… • Prefers well-drained soils, such as coastal hills and plains – Very tenacious and spreading root system. Oak Woodland • Dominant in Coast Live Oak Woodland ecosystem type – w/ Aesculus californicum, Umbellularia californicum, Heteromeles arbutifolia, • Classic California Landscape Cultivation • Popular as landscape, park and street tree. • Once established, relatively care-free • Can live up to 250 years • Pruning is necessary for elegant shape – In large trees can be expensive or dangerous. – In Bonzai, not so dangerous… Careful! • Don’t need a lot of water!! – Don’t irrigate under dripline • Susceptible to SOD, armillaria root rots – Important to keep water away from trunk • Very sensitive to grade change – Protect root crown if need be Cool things about Q. agrifolia • Photosynthetic Efficiency- multiple layers of palisade parenchyma cells, depending on sun exposure. • Fire-Resistant -evergreen, thick bark, sprouting ability • Edible ~20 known indigenous tribes relied on Q. agrifolia for primary food source. • Really good “at being a tree” – Dense shade year round (OK in CA) – Strong branch attachment, great structure. – Really Hard hardwood (good for charcoal and fuel) – Ecosystem support History in the East Bay • Native American food source (Ohlone) • Encinal -original Spanish name for area • Berkeley Hanging Tree • Oakland Oaks – 1903-1955 PCL Baseball – 1960’s ABL & ABA Basketball • Present day connection to Oak trees Of Oaks and Hippies • In Berkeley, some oaks so culturally important that plans to cut them down started a massive eco-protest that lasted 2 years! However… • Tree sitters failed to take into account: – Actual age of trees in 60-70 year range • Planted for beautification of Old stadium by UC – University’s plan to replace each cut tree with 3 new ones – Negative impact of their protest • Screws, nails into tree • Branch breakage for space creation • Slum-like aesthetic a drastic step down from pristine oak grove • Municipal costs (police, arborists etc) • Bad PR for treehuggers everywhere • Tenessee fans thought we were crazy. It’s an URBAN forest… …Management happens Moral of the story: • Coast Live Oaks are a real sweet tree. References • Sunset Western Garden Book; Edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees; More & White; 2002 Timber Press, Portland, OR • USFS Plant Database “Quercus agrifolia” http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/queagr/all.html • “Calflora.org:Quercus agrifolia” http://www.calflora.org/cgi- bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6983.