Stats

Lifespan

Up to 200 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Mediterranean chaparral

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

California scrub oak is a tough, drought-adapted shrub of California's chaparral and foothill woodlands, rarely exceeding 3 meters tall despite potentially living for centuries. Its spiny, holly-like leaves inspired the species name berberidifolia — meaning 'barberry-leaved' — making it one of the most distinctive and fire-resilient oaks in the state.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Fagales

Family

Fagaceae

Genus

Quercus

Species

Quercus berberidifolia