130 Muhlenbergia, Volume 3 
THE DEER OAK 
By WILLIS L. JEPSON. 
The deer oak (Quercus Sadleriana R. Br. Campst.) has an 
exceedingly limited range, being found only on the high moun- © 
tain slopes of northwestern California and adjacent Oregon. If 
its range be extended it must be looked for in the Oregon coast 
Tegion northward, for it is not at present known to the north of 
Curry county. Although so restricted in distribution it is re- 
markably abundant in the Marble Mountain country, on the 
Klamath Range east of Crescent City, and in the Siskiyous, at 
elevations of 4000 to gooo feet. On the trail from Cudahay val- 
ley to Cottage Grove I passed, in the summer of 1907, through 
several miles of it where it monopolized the ridge to the exclu- 
sion of all other shrubs. It is equally abundant in many places 
on both slopes of the Klamath Range. I noticed that the mules 
of the pack train ate it greedily, preferring it to other chaparral 
and refusing Brewer oak. 
It grows I to 12 feet high, at the higher altitudes with the 
stems at base hugging the ground down hill, showing the effects 
of winter snow. While it is most abundant on open chaparral 
slopes, it is also markedly shade tolerent and is common in the 
white fir forests. The Klamath Range has long been periodic- 
ally fire-stricken, but this condition has been no disadvantage to 
this oak in competition with other plants as it stump sprouts 
readily. 
It flowers in July. The variation in the number of stamens 
is unusual, even for an oak. On Trinity Summit, Humboldt 
county, I made, in 1902, a count of 21 flowers in the field with 
the following results: . 
4 flowers had 5 stamens 
I cs ac 6 (¢ 
4 
it a9 4é 
4 
Oo oO™ 
