Quercus dumosa

	Quercus dumosa
Author	Nuttall 1842 N. Amer. Sylv. 1: 18
Synonyms	dumosa var. elegantula (Greene) Jeps. 1923 x macdonaldii var. elegantula Greene 1889
Local names	California scrub oak ; coastal sage scrub oak ; scrub oak ; Nuttal's scrub oak ; el chaparral ; " chaps " ;
Range	California ; Mexico (North of Baja California); from Pacific coasts to 300 m ;
Growth habit	not exceeding 3 m; crown rounded, as if pruned; branches stiff;
Leaves	1-2.5 x 0.6-1.5 cm; semi-evergreen, stiff, thick; elliptic or oblong, sometimees nearly rounded; apex pointed, or round with a pungent mucro; base rounded to sometimes cuneate; margins wavy, entire or with mostly 3-9 shallow lobes or teeth (if present, the teeth are sometimes spiny); shiny green, nearly hairless above ; pale and densely pubescent beneath, with stellate trichomes showing large tangled rays visible without lens; 3 to 6 veins pairs hardly visible; petiole 1-4 mm;
Flowers	March to April;
Fruits	acorn 1.2-2.5 cm; narrowly ovoid, elongated, pointed, enclosed 1/3 or 1/4 by cup; cup subsessile (to 3 mm long stalk), with scales flat or sometimes tuberculate near the base; matures in 1 year; kernel very bitter but edible;
Bark, twigs and buds	bark dark brown, scaly; twig reddish grey, glabrous; bud red brown, globose, glabrous, 1-2 mm;
Hardiness zone, habitat	a little tender (but withstands -14°C); prefers dry soils; withstands calcareous ones;
Miscellaneous	-- Sub-genus Quercus, Section Quercus, Subsection Dumosae; -- A. Camus n° 176; -- Threatened (IUCN Red List Category : EN). -- Hybrids with Q.lobata and Q.engelmannii are put together under the name Q.x kinseliae ; -- The term "Q.dumosa" has been applied to almost all the scrubby oaks of California; but 5 species have been separated as true species : Q.turbinella, Q.john-tuckeri, Q.cornelius-mulleri, Q.berberidifolia and Q.pacifica; the "true" Q.dumosa is a quite rare species, restricted to low elevations; it differs from other scubby oaks essentially in having large, visible hairs on the leaves undersides.
Subspecies and varieties	-- For Trelease: numerous formas... -- -- Q.durata Jepson 1909 Fl. Calif. 1: 356 = Quercus dumosa subsp durata (Jeps.) A.Camus 1935 = Q.dumosa var. bullata Engelm. 1877 = Q.dumosa var. revoluta Sarg. 1895 leather oak ; to 3 m; densely branched, often prostrate; bark scaly; young shoot yellow grey, tomentose; bud brown, globose, 1-2 mm; leaves 1.5-4 x 0.7-2 cm, evergreen, leathery, oblong to elliptic, stongly convex; margins revolute, wavy and spiny, base cuneate, apex slightly pointed; dark dull green (greyish) above with appressed, persistent hairs; pale pubescent grey beneath with 1-2 mm long tawny hairs; acorn cylindrical 1.5-2.5 cm, nearly sessile, enclosed 1/2 or more in cup with warty scales; hardiness zone : 8; California, on dry soils made or serpentine; 150-1500 m; -- Q.durata has a variety : Q.durata var. gabrielensis Nixon et C.H.Muller 1994 = San Gabriel Mountains Leather Oak 1-3 m, with densely hairy twigs; leaves leathery, weakly convex, with longer hairs beneath (2-4 mm), shiny green above; petiole hairy less than 5 mm long; acorn 2 cm, stalkless, enclosed by warty, glabrous cup; 450-1000 m; California (San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County) where there is no or very few serpentine; it would be better to consider it as an ecotype of Q.durata. -- In Sta Catalina Island, a species is now separated from Q.dumosa, and from Q.berberidifolia, and is today considered as a true species : Q.pacifica Nixon et C.H.Muller
Pictures	More pictures HERE More pictures of Q. durata HERE

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