SBSanta Barbara
Field Guide

Local knowledge · thoughtfully edited

← The Natural World
Coast Live Oak
Local field photographPhotograph by Stuart Schonwetter

Woodlands & neighborhoods

Coast Live Oak

Quercus agrifolia

A spreading evergreen canopy holds a small world of its own. Start with the leaves, then look for the life around them.

When to notice

Evergreen. Flowers generally appear February–April; acorns mature August–October, with year-to-year variation.

Recognize it

Look for a broad crown and small, cupped, oval leaves. Their upper surfaces are dark green; the paler undersides have tufts of hairs where veins meet. Leaf edges may be smooth or toothed.

Understand it

Acorns feed birds and mammals, while the tree and its leaf litter support many other organisms. This is habitat as well as shade.

Find it responsibly

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Wooded Dell offers a named local starting point. Check the Garden’s admission, reservation, and accessibility information before visiting. Follow paths and leave leaves and acorns in place.

Identification note: Other oaks can look similar. A single spiny leaf is not enough: compare leaf undersides, acorns, and the whole tree.

Sources & further reading

External resources open on the source’s website.

USDA & Santa Barbara Botanic Garden · Plant guide (PDF) ↗Santa Barbara Botanic Garden · Wooded Dell ↗