Local knowledge · thoughtfully edited
Woodlands & neighborhoods
Quercus agrifolia
A spreading evergreen canopy holds a small world of its own. Start with the leaves, then look for the life around them.
Evergreen. Flowers generally appear February–April; acorns mature August–October, with year-to-year variation.
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.
Acorns feed birds and mammals, while the tree and its leaf litter support many other organisms. This is habitat as well as shade.
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.
External resources open on the source’s website.
USDA & Santa Barbara Botanic Garden · Plant guide (PDF) ↗Santa Barbara Botanic Garden · Wooded Dell ↗