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Quercus chrysolepis
Also called Canyon Oak, Goldcup Oak, Maul Oak, Golden oak, California Live Oak, Golden Cup Oak
A large evergreen oak native to western North America, often a tree but sometimes a shrub, found in canyons, near creeks and in moist cool sites. It tolerates many soil types and is hardy to about -11 °F.
Quercus chrysolepis, commonly termed canyon live oak, canyon oak, golden cup oak or maul oak, is a North American species of evergreen oak. Its leaves are a glossy dark green on the upper surface with prominent spines; a further identification arises from the leaves of canyon live oak being geometrically flat.
The species is found in Mexico and in the western United States, notably in the California Coast Ranges. It is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats.
Q. chrysolepis is found in a variety of forest communities in the southwestern United States. It is common in the mountainous regions of California (Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, Klamath Mountains, Cascades, San Gabriel Mountains, etc.) with additional populations in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, western Nevada, northern Baja California, Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Chihuahua. Southwestern New Mexico population are most likely the result of introgression from Quercus palmeri to Q. chrysolepis. Those populations tend to be intermediate in overall morphology, but all lack the diagnostic trichomes and biochemical markers of Q. palmeri; they are best classified as Q. chrysolepis affinity Q. palmer.
The acorns are edible. Native Americans used them as a food staple after leaching the tannins. Its roasted seed is also used as a coffee substitute.
Quercus affinis · Coast Live Oak · White Oak · Golden Oak · Scrub oak · Brant's oak · Turkey Oak · Scarlet Oak · Daimyo oak · Blue oak · Leather oak · Northern pin oak
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Quercus chrysolepis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
