COAST LIVE OAK

Quercus agrifolia

A majestic evergreen oak that lives in coastal areas of California and Baja California. They grow in well-drained soil on coastal hills and plains and are typically located near perennial streams all year round. Having a wide, round canopy that provides sufficient shade and growing up to 30 to 80 feet high, its curly mossy branches and trunks reach a maximum of 9 to 13 feet. Its dark green, oval leathery leaves are food for many insects and its reddish-brown acorns are a source of nutrition for insects and other animals, including birds, butterflies, and squirrels.

Coast Live Oak provides a habitat for various species of birds, mammals, and insects, in ecosystems in various forms. Coast Live Oak is also of cultural importance to many Native California tribes who have worshiped trees for millennia, using its acorns as food and bark as medicine.

1. ‘Coast Live Oak; Quercus agrifolia’,California native plant society. https://calscape.org/Quercus-agrifolia-(Coast-Live-Oak)
2. ‘Coast Live Oak’, waterwisegardenplanner.org https://waterwisegardenplanner.org/plants/quercus-agrifolia/