Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii

About Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) 41 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii), also known as simply Black Oak, or Kellogg Oak, is an oak in the red oak section (Quercus sect. Lobatae), native to western North America. It is a close relative of the Black Oak (Quercus velutina) found in eastern and central North America. California Black Oak is a deciduous tree, typically growing from 9-25 meter (30-80 feet) in height and from 0.3-1.4 meter (1-4.5 feet) in diameter. Large trees may exceed 36 meter (120 feet) in height and 1.6 meter (5 feet) diameter. The species also grows in scrub form on poor sites. In open areas the crown is broad and rounded, with lower branches nearly touching the ground or forming a browse line. In closed stands, the crown is narrow and slender in young trees and irregularly broad in old trees. Trunks are usually free of branches for 6-12 meter (20-40 feet) in closed stands. Trunks are often forked, and usually decayed and hollow in older trees. The bark is thin and smooth in young trees, becoming moderately thick, deeply fissured, and platy with age. The bark of older trees is dark, giving rise to the common name. This oak grows from one to several vertical roots which penetrate to bedrock, with large, laterally spreading roots extending off from vertical ones. It also has a number of surface roots. Acorns are relatively large in this species, from 2.5-3 centimeter (1-1.2 inches) long and 1.5-1.8 centimeter (0.6-0.7 inches) wide and take two years to mature. They were considered the best acorns for food by the Native Americans. The deeply lobed leaves are typically 10-20 centimeters (4-8 inches) long. California black oak can live up to 500 years of age.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

20 - 120 ft tall
35 ft wide

Form

Upright, Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Yellow, Cream, Green

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

Numerous types of wildlife are attracted to oaks. Many insects are attracted to Oaks generally, including the following butterflies which use Oaks as host plant: California Sister, Propertius Duskywing, Mournful Duskywing, Golden Hairstreak, and Gold-Hunter's Hairstreak.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 8 confirmed

, 172 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Decodes fragarianaDecodes fragariana

Chionodes trichostolaChionodes trichostola

Chionodes powelliChionodes powelli

Xenolechia querciphagaXenolechia querciphaga

Stigmella variellaStigmella variella

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 41

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Occurs in many soil types. Prefers acidic soil.. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Often found with Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), White Fir (Abies concolor), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana). Understory plants include Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus, Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea), Larkspur (Delphinium species), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Gooseberries (Ribes species), and ferns

Maintenance

Vulnerable to Sudden Oak Death. Sterilize any cutting tools before and after pruning to prevent infections and avoid spreading Sudden Oak Death

Propagation?

By acorns. For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds sow in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing. If started indoors or in glasshouse, stratify first for 1-2 mos. (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19, 20, 21

Natural Setting

Site Type

Slopes and valleys between 2,000 and 8,000 ft. in the Coast Ranges, Transverse Range, Peninsular Range, and lower elevations of the Sierras, where it is found as part of deciduous oak woodland, mixed evergreen forest, or other woodland/forest type

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.6" - 151.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 5.78", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 54.1", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 79.3", Humidity: 0.10" - 29.60", Elevation: 5" - 14090"

Alternative Names

Common Names: California Black Oak, Cream Bush

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Black Oak

Quercus kelloggii

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Black OakQuercus kelloggii

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Black Oak

Quercus kelloggii