Grey Oak, Quercus turbinella

About Grey Oak (Quercus turbinella) 12 Nurseries Carry This Plant

Add to My Plant List

Grey Oak (Quercus turbinella) is a rare native shrub in the Fagaceae (Oak) family that grows in scattered locations throughout the Southwestern U.S. In California it is found primarily in the Desert Mountains and Mojave Desert regions at elevations from 3900-6600 feet. The climate in these areas is wet and relatively cold in winter, dry and hot in summer. The oblong leaves are yellowish-green and the bark is grey, giving the plant an overall grey appearance.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

6.6 - 10 ft tall
10 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Rounded, Upright

Flower Color

Cream, Green

Wildlife Supported

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 ( 6 confirmed

, 108 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Sleepy Duskywing Erynnis brizoErynnis brizo

Andromache Underwing Moth Catocala andromacheCatocala andromache

Decodes fragarianaDecodes fragariana

Xenolechia querciphagaXenolechia querciphaga

Catocala californiensisCatocala californiensis

Coptotriche consanguineaCoptotriche consanguinea

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulusPapilio rutulus

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 12

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Use with other Desert edge or high Desert plants such as Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), California Juniper (Juniperus californicus), and Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla).

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds sow in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing. (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones?

5, 7*, 8, 9*, 10, 11, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry slopes on the eastern slopes of the Coast Ranges, Transverse Range and Peninsular Range

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.6" - 38.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.82", Coldest Month: 36.8" - 57.9", Hottest Month: 55.9" - 83.4", Humidity: 0.83" - 36.39", Elevation: 543" - 8366"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Shrub Live Oak, Sonoran Scrub Oak, Turbinella Oak

Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label

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

Grey Oak

Quercus turbinella

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Grey OakQuercus turbinella

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Grey Oak

Quercus turbinella