64 



American Midland Naturalist Monograph No. 4 



Gambel oak is similar in appearance to Rocky Mountain white oak, which 

 is ordinarily a tree. The two species are common in many parks of the 

 Southwest where they are often found growing together. They cover large 

 areas in Mesa Verde National Park, forming dense thickets on hillsides. The 

 foliage is browsed by deer. During the Fall the leaves turn red and orange 

 and are among the most colorful of the autumn shades. 



Occurrence. — mesa VERDE, abundant on the hillslopes in the northern part of the 

 park: along highway below Park Point. BRYCE CANYON: along rim drive between Bryce 

 Point and Farview. ZION, occasional, 4,000 to 8,000 feet: canyon walls near west 

 entrance; the Narrows trail; vicinity of Mirror Lake, grand CANYON, 6,000 to 8,000 

 feet. North Rim, common: McKinnon Point; near Grand Canyon Lodge. South Rim, 

 abundant m openings in the p>onderosa pine forest: rim drives; Yaki Point; west of 

 Moran Point. Canyon, common above 6,000 feet below both rims: Bright Angel trail; 

 Kaibab trail above Roarmg Springs. 



2. Kaweah Oak, Brewer Oak (Quer- 

 cus Garryana Dougl. var. Breweri Jepson) , fig. 

 19. — Widely spreading shrub 3 to 15 feet 

 high; bark smooth, gray; leaves oblong to 

 oval, 2 to 4 inches long, divided to near the 

 midrib into several broad rounded lobes, shiny 

 green above, pale or rusty below and often 

 softly hairy; acorns oval to roundish, % to 1^4 

 inches long, the cup shallow. (Syn. Q. Garry- 

 ana var. seniota Jepson.) 



This species often forms pure dense stands 

 in openings in the forest or on mountain 

 slopes, especially in the chaparral belt of 

 Sequoia National Park. The foliage is 

 browsed by deer and the large acorns are 

 taken by small mammals. They are very nu- 

 tritious, a fact recognized by the Indians of 

 the region, who gathered them and stored them 

 for winter food- 



Fig. 19. Kaweah oak (Qiiercu5 

 Carryana var. Drereeri). 



Occurrence. — crater lake, rare: southwest cor- 

 ner of park, 5,450 feet. SEQUOIA, common, 3,000 to 

 5,600 feet: Middle Fork Kaweah River; east of 

 Panther Creek; east of Clough Cave; North Fork 

 Kaweah River trail. 



3. Huckleberry Oak (Quercus yaccinifolia Kell.). — Low evergreen 

 shrub, 1 to 6 feet high, the slender branchlets crowded and broomlike near 

 the ends of the stems; leaves oblong to narrowly egg-shaped, ^2 to II/4 inches 

 long, dull gray-green above, paler and finely hairy below; acorn roundish, 

 pointed at the tip, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, set in a rather shallow cup, the cup 

 thinnish, hairy within. 



This is a shrub of the higher mountains of California. As the common 

 name implies, the plants resemble some of the western huckleberries. The 



