California Live Oak 



309 



13 mm. across, light brown and hairy inside, thin and embracing about one fourth 

 of the nut, covered by ovate, brown hairy scales. 



Like other shrubby oaks, this species forms dense thickets. 



26. CALIFORNIA LIVE OAK Quercus agrifoUa Nde 



This usually evergreen tree occurs in western CaHfomia along the Coast Moun- 

 tains and on the coastal islands, extending into Lower California, reaching a maxi- 

 mum height of about 27 meters, with a trunk diameter of over 2 m., but usually 

 much smaller and on sand dunes reduced to a nearly prostrate shrub. It is also 

 called Evergreen oak, Coast live oak, and Live oak. 



The trunk is short, usually dividing into several large widely spreading 

 branches, but sometimes tall with short spreading branches forming a narrow head. 

 The bark of old trunks is up to 7.5 cm. thick, furrowed into blunt ridges, with 

 small close dark brown scales ; that on younger stems 

 is thinner, nearly smooth, and hght brown or gray. 

 The twigs are slender, woolly at first, becoming smooth 

 only after about two years, when they are gray or red- 

 dish brown. The winter buds are ovoid or ovoid- 

 oblong, 1.5 to 5 mm. long, 

 brown, smooth or hairy. The 

 leaves are ovate, orbicular or 

 oblong, 4 to 10 cm. long, 

 rounded or pointed and bris- 

 tle-tipped at apex, rounded, 

 heart-shaped, or rarely nar- 

 rowed at the base; the thick 

 revolute margin is entire or 

 toothed with slender, stiff bris- 

 tle-pointed teeth; they are 

 nearly leather)' and convex, rather dark green, dull, slightly netted veined and 

 sometimes hair}" above, paler, somewhat shining, smooth or hair\-, with tufts of 

 hairs at the axils of the veins beneath, persisting until the new leaves have 

 formed or sometimes fall before the new leaves appear; the leaf-stalk is stout or 

 slender, smooth or hair}', i to 2 cm. long. The flowers appear in April or May, 

 sometimes also in the autumn, the staminate in slender hairy catkins 7.5 to 10 cm. 

 long; their calyx is deeply 5 to 7-lobed, the lobes sharp-pointed; stamens 6 to 10, 

 slightly exserted; anthers oblong, notched, smooth and yellow. The pistillate 

 flowers are sessile or nearly so, the reddish involucres woolly or rarely smooth; 

 styles spreading and bright red. The fruit, ripening in the autumn of the first 

 season, is sessile or nearly so, sohtary or few together; nut narrowly ovoid, 18 to 

 36 mm. long, gradually tapering to a sharp, hairy apex and bro\ATn, the shell thin 

 with a thick, woolly coating inside; cup top-shaped, about 1.5 cm. across, bright 



Fig. 261. California Live Oak. 



